New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday sentenced Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and former MP Prabhunath Singh to life imprisonment in a double murder case of 1995.
Prabhunath Singh is a three-term JD(U) and one-time RJD MP from Maharajganj in north Bihar.
The court also directed Singh and the Bihar government to pay Rs.10 lakh each to the families of the two deceased victims and Rs.5 lakh to an injured victim in the case which involved the killing of two people on the day of polling for assembly elections in Chapra in March 1995. The two were shot dead because they did not vote as per Singh’s direction.
Holding him guilty of culpable homicide amounting to murder for killing Daroga Rai and Rajendra Rai in March 1995 in Chhapra village of Bihar, a bench of Justices S K Kaul, AS Oka and Vikram Nath had earlier directed the state Home Secretary and DGP “to ensure that…Singh is taken into custody forthwith and produced before” it on September 1 when it will hear the matter on the quantum of sentence to be imposed.
The Additional Sessions Judge, Fast Track Court-III, Patna had by order dated October 24, 2008, acquitted Singh citing lack of evidence. This was upheld by the Patna High Court on December 2, 2021. (with Agency inputs)
