By Soroor Ahmed,
The September 7, 2016 decision of Justice Jitendra Mohan Sharma to grant bail to former RJD MP, Shahabuddin, in Rajiv Roshan murder case is not the first such instance of getting bail. He had got bail in all the serious cases related to murder, murderous attack, abduction, Arms Act etc in the last so many years when he was in jail. What is strange is that he got bail in those cases in which he had been convicted by the lower court in the last so many years, for example, the killing of former JNUSU president, Chandrashekhar, the double murder case involving the barbaric elimination of Rajiv Roshan’s two brothers in 2004; Arms Act case, Pratapur shootout case on 2001 etc.
In a couple of cases he had got life sentences from the trial court.
In August 2007 he was sentenced to 10 years jail by the special court in a case related to the murderous attack on the then SP of Siwan, S K Singhal, during the 1996 Lok Sabha election.
This time the opposition parties and media is highlighting the issue too much, but the truth is that all these questions about bails should be raised in the past too. The hue and cry is being raised more because this was the last case and the don-cum-politician finally got released.
BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi has accused the state government for paving the way for Shahabuddin’s release, but one may ask as to how he got bail in all the other heinous crimes when he too was the deputy chief minister. Was the state government then did not oppose the bails seriously?
The first time Shahabuddin––obviously after becoming MP––went to jail was in 2003, but he got bail; second time on November 7, 2005, just 17 days before the coming to power of Nitish Kumar and Sushil Modi. And he finally got out on September 7, 2016.
Instead of just politicising the issue the opposition parties and the media should raise some serious questions about the whole judicial process.
After all the JD(U)-BJP was in power for more than eight and a half years, yet it failed to get final conviction in any of these serious cases. All this in spite of the tall claims about fast-track-court.
Not only that in spite of putting him behind bars the state government failed to destroy his war-machine. The appearance of shooter Mohammad Kaif in Press interaction after the release of Shahabuddin reminds one of this fact.
Incidentally, Rajiv and journalist Rajdeo Ranjan were killed in the last couple of years, which fully shows that criminals have soon re-grouped themselves.
(Soroor Ahmed is editor of BiharTimes.com)
WHen maya kodnani can walk free, why so much cry for Sahabuddin? anti muslim mindset?
hi moderator,,,,,still trying to understand my comment?