Thursday, June 26, 2008

Bihar MP sentenced to life for murder

A Bihar court Wednesday sentenced Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) MP Surajbhan Singh to life imprisonment in a sixteen-year-old murder case.

Amid tight security, the Begusarai fast track court judge Ravi Prakash Dhar Dubey awarded life imprisonment to three people, including LJP MP Surajbhan Singh, a day after they were convicted by the court for farmer Rami Singh's murder in 1992, official sources in the court said.

The court also pronounced a fine of Rs.25,000 on each of them.

Surajbhan Singh was found guilty under sections 302, 149 of the Indian Penal Code and the Arms Act for the murder of Rami Singh, a farmer, Jan 16, 1992.

His lawyer said that Surajbhan Singh will appeal against it.

Surajbhan Singh represents Bihar's Ballia constituency in parliament and is considered close to Union Minister of Steel and LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan.

Hundreds of people, mostly supporters of Surajbhan Singh, gathered outside the court since early afternoon to hear the court's verdict.

Rami Singh, a resident of Mathurapur village in Begusarai district, about 126 km from here, was shot Jan 16, 1992 allegedly by Surajbhan Singh and his henchmen, according to the police complaint in the case.

Soon after the court found him guilty in the murder case, the police took him into custody. He will be lodged in the Begusarai jail.

Surajbhan Singh faces 30 criminal charges, including those of murder, extortion, kidnapping and looting.

Last year, he was named accused in the murder of additional public prosecutor Ramnaresh Sharma, 55.

Sharma, a human rights activist, was shot by two unidentified people at his residence in Begusarai.

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