The Bihar government in a sudden development has changed its lawyer hours before the Supreme Court was to head a petition challenging the bail granted to RJD politician Mohamamd Shahabuddin.
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According to party leaders, Shahabuddin received the Supreme Court notice on Tuesday at his native village Pratappur in Siwan district, where he has been staying since September 10 when he was released from the Bhagalpur Central Jail after 11 years.
The hearing will now be held on Wednesday as Shahabuddin’s lawyer asked for more time to respond in the matter.
The petition has been filed by Bhushan on behalf of the victim’s family, which was upset to see Shahabuddin walk free.
A bench of Justice PC Ghose and Justice AK Roy had on September 19 declined to grant an interim stay on the operation of the HC order and said it will give Shahabuddin a hearing before issuing directions. A petition was filed by Chandababu and Bihar government against bail granted to Shahabuddin. Also the High Court neglected the fact that Shahabuddin is also accused of murder of a journalist Rajdev Ranjan in Siwan. But this case is not listed for Monday. The apex court had argued that the same judge had earlier rejected his bail application and thus should have examined that merits of the plea as per the law and SC judgement.
While a sessions court in Siwan had convicted Shahabuddin for the offence of murder and kidnapping for ransom in the twin murder case and had awarded life imprisonment to him, the trial in the murder case of the eye witness son is going on.
On September 19, the apex court had sought a response from Shahabuddin on a separate plea filed by Devi’s husband Chandrakeshwar Prasad challenging the bail granted to him by Patna High Court in the murder case of their third son.
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Singh said the Roshan murder case was not a routine incident but was the killing of a “star eye-witness” to a gruesome crime. “He should be ideally lodged outside Bihar”, the counsel had said.
