Supreme Court Grants Virtual Appearance to Ex-Bihar MP Prabhunath Singh in 1995 Double Murder Case
In a pivotal decision, the Supreme Court has permitted former Bihar MP, Prabhunath Singh, to make a virtual appearance through video conferencing. This move comes after the court’s judgment, which pronounced Prabhunath Singh guilty in a 1995 double murder case.
The bench, spearheaded by Justices S.K. Kaul, stated that the RJD leader is
“exempted from physical appearance”
in contrast to the court’s earlier directive. The prior instruction had explicitly asked Bihar’s Home Secretary and the Director General of Police (DGP)
“to produce him on September 1 before the apex court,”
a date marked for the announcement of the quantum of Singh’s sentence.
On August 18, a special bench, inclusive of Justices S.K. Kaul, Abhay S. Oka, and Vikram Nath, reversed the Patna High Court’s acquittal decision. They declared the former legislator guilty in connection with the 1995 double murder case. The court’s statement was unequivocal:
“Accused-respondent no. 2 (Prabhunath Singh) is thus convicted under Sections 302 and 307 IPC for the murders of Daroga Rai and Rajendra Rai and also for attempt to murder of injured Lalmuni Devi (mother of deceased Rajendra Rai).”
The Supreme Court’s judgment was anchored in
“sufficient evidence to show that Singh murdered Rajendra Rai and Daroga Rai near a polling booth in Bihar’s Chhapra in 1995.”
This case was escalated to the apex court following an appeal lodged in 2012 by the brother of the deceased. He challenged the Patna High Court’s decision, which had upheld the trial court’s acquittal of Singh
“on the ground of lack of evidence.”
Further illumination from the FIR paints a grim picture: Singh
“openly fired from his rifle on a group of people who did not vote for him”
as they made their way back after participating in the 1995 election.
In addition to this case, Prabhunath Singh is currently entangled in another legal battle, serving a life sentence for the murder of Ashok Singh.
