Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MLA Anant Singh was disqualified on July 15 by the Bihar Assembly, following his conviction in a case related to the recovery of arms and ammunition, including an AK-47 rifle, from his residence, as per an official order.
Singh, the MLA of Mokama in Patna district, was convicted by a special MP-MLA court in June under various sections of the Arms Act, Explosive Substances Act and the Indian Penal Code. He was sentenced to ten years of imprisonment.
"Anant Singh, MLA from Mokama (Assembly seat no 178) is disqualified from holding membership of the House following his conviction in a criminal case. Decision has been taken as per Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act," said an Order issued by the Bihar Assembly Secretariat.
Singh, locally known as 'Chhote Sarkaar', is also facing several other criminal cases, including those of murder, extortion and kidnapping, as per his election documents. He is lodged at the Beur Central Jail in Patna.
An AK-47 rifle, two hand grenades, 26 rounds of bullets and a magazine were found by the police allegedly at his house on August 16, 2019 during a raid that lasted for over 11 hours. The tally of Opposition RJD, which is the single largest party in the 243-member Bihar Assembly, went down to 79 with the disqualification of Singh.