Lalu's son gets SC notice for sheltering criminal
The Supreme Court on Friday served a notice on RJD chief Lalu Prasad’s son Tej Pratap Singh, the deputy chief minister of Bihar, and criminal-turned ex-RJD MP Mohd Shahabuddin as to why an FIR should not be registered against them for allegedly sheltering Mohd Kaif alias Bunty who is wanted in a murder case of Siwan journalist Rajdev Ranjan.
The notice was issued by the Bench of Justices Dipak Misra and C Nagappan on a petition by the journalist’s widow Asha Ranjan while directing the Bihar police to provide protection to her and her family and asked the CBI probing the case to file a status report of its investigation at the next hearing on October 17. The Court also issued notice to the Bihar government on her plea to transfer the trial from Bihar to Delhi. She has also sought compensation from the state government. The Court hinted that it may monitor the investigation while seeking the status report from the CBI.
The slain journalist's wife had sought transfer of the case to Delhi on the ground that free and fair trial was not possible in Siwan because of the influence of Shahabuddin’s gang all over the district. She also wanted the Supreme Court to monitor the CBI probe ordered by the Bihar government. She has alleged that her husband was killed on the instructions of Shahabuddin from jail.
Shahabuddin, who is out on bail granted by the Patna High Court after spending 11 years in prison, is already under notice from the Supreme Court to reply by September 26 why his bail should not be cancelled as pleaded in separate petitions by the Bihar government and the father of three youths killed by his henchmen, two in 2004 and the eldest one in 2014. Kaif, who allegedly killed the journalist, is said to be a key shooter of Shahabuddin’s gang.
A picture of Lalu’s son Tej Pratap with Kaif wanted in the Rajdev Ranjan murder case had went viral on the social media, prompting the opposition in Bihar to sharpen its attack on the ruling grand alliance.