The Supreme Court on Friday held Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and former member of parliament Prabhunath Singh guilty in the 1995 double-murder case and overturned the Patna High Court order that acquitted him. He is at present incarcerated for life in another homicide case.
Supreme Court holds Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and former MP Prabhunath Singh guilty in 1995 double murder case, overturns Patna HC order acquitting him pic.twitter.com/vwBP0RduI8
— ANI (@ANI) August 18, 2023
The trial court had earlier found him guilty of assassinating his political rival Ashok Singh, a lawmaker who had defeated the former in the 1995 Bihar assembly election as reported by Hindustan News Hub. He had publicly threatened to depose the latter within 90 days of the poll. Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, AS Oka, and Vikram Nath’s panel have now pronounced him culpable in the double murder case.
The court used substantial evidence to conclude that the accused had killed 18-year-old Rajendra Rai and 47-year-old Daroga Rai in March 1995 outside a voting booth in Chhapra in Bihar. The two were shot to death because they disobeyed the RJD veteran’s orders. The case was moved from Chhapra to the Patna high court owing to worries about witness intimidation and sway.
However, the Patna HC cleared Prabhunath Singh of all charges in December 2008, citing lack of substantial proof and maintained their verdict in 2012. The Supreme Court heard a case from Rajendra Rai’s brother challenging the decision which resulted in the recent judgement.
Justice Vikram Nath ruled, “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.”
Although Prabhunath Singh was found liable, the court upheld the exoneration of the other six co-accused. He is scheduled to be heard by the court over the sentence’s severity. It is significant to remember that a life sentence or the death penalty might be imposed as punishment for manslaughter.
He has been in politics representing several different parties. He joined Janata Dal in 1995, later changed his affiliation to Janata Dal (United), and then, in 2010, after a dispute with chief minister Nitish Kumar, joined Rashtriya Janata Dal.
The decision rendered by the Supreme Court has profound ramifications for justice and responsibility. The fact that a prominent political figure like Prabhunath Singh was found guilty in a double homicide case almost 30 years ago serves as a reminder that those who commit horrible crimes would eventually be apprehended by the law, regardless of their stature or political ties. The order further illustrated how crucial a fair and impartial judiciary is to maintaining the rule of law.
