WERE YOU ASLEEP TILL SHAHABUDDIN GOT BAIL? SC PULLS UP NITISH GOVT
The Supreme Court on Wednesday blasted the Bihar government for being in “slumber” when gangster-turned-politician RJD leader Mohammad Shahabuddin received bail in 45 criminal cases, and asked it to explain why the decision was not challenged at that time.
“Why have you approached this court only after his release? Were you in slumber till he got bail?” a bench of Justice PC Ghose and Justice AK Roy asked senior advocate Dinesh Dwivedi, the Bihar government’s counsel.
The court posed these questions while Dwivedi was presenting his arguments for setting aside a Patna high court order granting bail to Shahabuddin in a 2014 murder case.
Shahabuddin, who represented Siwan in the Lok Sabha for four successive terms between 1996 and 2008, was imprisoned for more than 10 years in multiple cases. On September 7, he was granted bail by the Patna high court in connection with the murder of a man who witnessed the killing of two brothers in Siwan. The victim’s father has also appealed against the court decision.
Shahabuddin managed to walk out of jail because he had already obtained bail in the other cases pending against him. The state hadn’t bothered to appeal against the previous bail orders because the RJD MP was still incarcerated in connection with the 2014 murder case.
“Why did you not challenge the bail granted to Shahabuddin in 45 cases? Why did realisation dawn only after he came out of jail?” the bench asked.
Dwivedi admitted to “anomalies” on the state’s part, but argued there was no special reason or medical urgency for the high court to grant bail.
The hearing, which remained inconclusive, will continue on Thursday.