Sir — The bail granted to Mohammed Shahabuddin beats reason. In fact, Shahabuddin the criminal and Shahabuddin, the politician, have been virtually indistinguishable for years.
Politics has come to the rescue of this hardened criminal. His career as a muscleman-politician flourished during RJD chief lalu Prasad’s tenure as the Chief Minister. However, the Nitish Kumar Government in Bihar had cracked down on criminals and demonstratively enforced the rule law in the State, after coming to power by replacing lalu Prasad.
Now, Nitish Kumar’s reputation for good governance, his moral authority as Bihar’s Chief Minister and his long-term ambition of emerging as a national-level leader, may well depend on how astutely he handles this challenge.