New Delhi : Refusing to adjourn for a week a case filed for canceling bail of RJD”s strongman ex-MP Mohammad Shahabuddin, the Supreme Court on Monday scheduled the hearing two days later on Wednesday.
At the same time, the Bench of Justices Pinaki Chandra Ghose and Amitava Roy pulled up the Bihar government for showing urgency to cancel his bail, stating that the same urgency should have been shown before (in Patna High Court).
Shahabuddin”s lawyer had sought more time to respond to the Bihar government”s petition and complained that a medial trial was going on against his client. “We don”t intend to adjourn the matter. How many witnesses have been bumped off? You want to wash away everything,” the Court said.
Senior advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for a person whose three sons were killed by Shahabuddin”s henchmen, told the Court that he had 45 criminal cases filed in his name and was convicted in 10 of them. Bhushan said he was a serious threat to the society as every day he is out of jail, he uses to threaten witnesses appearing against him. Bhushan unsuccessfully pleaded for staying the September 7 Patna High Court order grating bail to Shahabuddin as soon as the Court indicated to adjourn the matter on the request by the counsel that Ram Jethmalani who is going to represent him was yet to be briefed. Refusing to put on hold the High Court order, Justice Ghose said, “We don”t intend to pass an order of stay at this stage.”
Opposing the plea by Bhushan, senior counsel Shekhar Naphade told the court that they are seeking adjournment because they have to file some orders granting bail to Shahabuddin from various courts in Bihar. Naphade drew the attention of the court to the language that has been used in the petition being argued by Bhushan. “Kindly see what has been said about the High Court. They are self- proclaimed guardians of public morality. I am being tried by media.” Chandrakeshwar Prasad, father of three youths killed by Shahabuddin’s gang, had moved the top court challenging the bail granted to him since the trial in his son Rajiv Roshan”s murder was yet to commence. Rajiv Roshan was the third and eldest son of Chandrakeshwar Prasad who was allegedly killed by the henchmen of Shahabuddin in 2014 since he was the lone eyewitness to his two other brothers killed by him in 2004 for which he was sentenced to life imprisonment only last year.
Appearing for the Bihar government, senior counsel Dinesh Dwivedi told the court that the matter was of extreme urgency.” We are pursuing the matter seriously.
There is only one eye witness in the murder of Rajiv Roshan and if he is bumped off, not only Rajiv’s case will collapse but also another case before the High Court in which the former MP was given life term for killing his two younger brothers in 2004.
