The Supreme Court on Friday overturned the acquittal of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and former Member of Parliament (MP) Prabhunath Singh in a double murder case from 1995.
Currently serving a life imprisonment term for another murder case, Singh was pronounced guilty by a trial court in 2017 for his involvement in the 1995 murder of legislator Ashok Singh. The latter had triumphed over Prabhunath in the 1995 Bihar Assembly election, leading to threats of elimination within 90 days of the election.
A panel of justices comprising Sanjay Kishan Kaul, AS Oka, and Vikram Nath convicted Prabhunath, a former three-term Janata Dal (United) or JD(U) and one-time RJD MP from Maharajganj, in the double murder case.
The court found sufficient evidence linking him to the murders of Rajendra Rai, aged 18, and Daroga Rai, aged 47, near a polling booth in Chhapra in March 1995.
These three persons were fatally shot as they did not cast their votes according to Singh’s instructions. After concerns were raised about witness intimidation and influence, the case was transferred from Chhapra to Patna. In December 2008, the trial court acquitted Prabhunath due to insufficient evidence. This acquittal was upheld by the Patna High Court in 2012. The Supreme Court intervention was prompted by the challenge made by Rajendra Rai’s brother against the acquittal.
Justice Nath, while delivering the verdict, stated, “We set aside the impugned order of the Patna High Court and convict respondent no 2...Prabhunath Singh, under Section 302 (murder) for the murders of Daroga Rai and Rajendra Rai. We direct the home secretary of...Bihar and the director general of police of the State to arrest Prabhunath Singh and produce him before this court in custody on the next date of hearing to be heard on [the] argument of [the] sentence.”
The court upheld the acquittal of six other co-accused and scheduled September 1 as the next date to determine the quantum of punishment for Prabhunath Singh. The sentence for murder could entail either life imprisonment or a death penalty.
Prabhunath Singh initially joined the Janata Dal in 1995, subsequently becoming a JD(U) member before joining RJD in 2010 after a fallout with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.