In a significant ruling, the Supreme Court handed down a life imprisonment sentence to Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and former Member of Parliament (MP) Prabhunath Singh. This decision comes in connection with a double murder case dating back to 1995. The verdict follows the court's recent overturning of his acquittal, which it attributed to the failure of the state machinery and the trial court to guarantee a fair trial.

According to a bench comprising Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, AS Oka, and Vikram Nath, Prabhunath Singh, a leader of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and former Member of Parliament (MP), has been sentenced to life imprisonment in a 1995 double murder case. The Supreme Court's decision to overturn his previous acquittal stemmed from what it deemed as a failure of the state machinery and the trial court to ensure a fair trial.

The bench also ordered Prabhunath Singh and the Bihar government to pay ₹10 lakh each to the families of the two deceased victims and ₹5 lakh each to an injured victim involved in the case.

Prabhunath Singh, currently serving a life sentence in another murder case at Hazaribagh jail in Jharkhand, appeared virtually during the proceedings.

In 2017, a trial court found Singh guilty of the 1995 murder of legislator Ashok Singh, who had defeated him in the 1995 Bihar assembly election. Prabhunath Singh had allegedly threatened to eliminate him within 90 days of the election results.

Senior advocates Abhishek Manu Singhvi and R. Basanth, representing Singh, argued against the imposition of a death sentence, contending that the case did not fall under the category of the "rarest of rare" offenses. They emphasized that the Supreme Court had already reversed Singh's acquittals from two lower courts, which should be considered in sentencing. They also informed the bench that Singh had filed a review petition against the conviction order on August 18.

In its August 18 judgment, the Supreme Court expressed dismay at the failure of the key stakeholders in the criminal trial, including the Investigating Officer, the public prosecutor, and the judiciary, to carry out their respective duties and responsibilities.

The bench found Prabhunath Singh, a former three-term Janata Dal (United) (JD(U)) and one-time RJD MP from Maharajganj, guilty of the double murder, citing sufficient evidence that he had murdered Rajendra Rai (18) and Daroga Rai (47) near a polling booth in Chhapra in March 1995. The victims were shot dead because they did not vote as per Singh's instructions.

The case was transferred from Chhapra to Patna High Court after allegations of witness intimidation and influence. In December 2008, a Patna court acquitted Singh due to a lack of evidence, a decision upheld by the Patna High Court in 2012. However, Rajendra Rai's brother challenged the acquittal in the Supreme Court.

In its August 18 judgment, the Supreme Court also criticized the tainted investigation, highlighting Prabhunath Singh's high-handedness as a powerful sitting MP from the ruling party. The court lamented that the prosecution, trial court, and Patna High Court had unjust “The prosecution version in the present case was being demolished brick by brick by using political authority and muscle power with the aid of not only the police administration but also with the aid of Public Prosecutor and unfortunately, the presiding officer of the trial court also conducted himself in a manner unbecoming of a judicial officer,” said the bench.

The Supreme Court strongly criticized the "deplorable functioning" of the public prosecutor, police administration, and the trial court's presiding officer for showing undue favoritism to Singh.

“Both the courts completely shut their eyes to the manner of the investigation, the prosecutor’s role, and the high-handedness of the accused as also the conduct of the presiding officer of the trial court,” it said.

Image source: HT