Court grants bail to ruling JD(U) MLA facing lifer in DM murder case

Patna, Oct 10 (UNI) Patna High court today granted bail to ruling JD(U) MLA Munna Shukla and Shashishekhar Thakur facing life sentence in connection with the murder of former District Magistrate of Gopalganj G Krishnaiya in 1994.

After hearing the arguments of prosecution and defence, a division bench of the court comprising Justice Mr Shivkirti Singh and Justice Mr S M M Alam ordered to release both the convicts on bail. The judges also stayed the fine of Rs 25000 slapped on each of them.

The bench had already granted bail to Lovely Anand, former MP and another convict facing life sentence in connection with the same case.

Earlier, Additional District and Sessions Judge Ram Shrestha Rai on October 3 had awarded death sentence to former MP Anand Mohan, former minister Akhlak Ahmad and former MLA Arun Kumar while JD(U) MLA Munna Shukla, Harendra, Shahshisekhar Thakur and Lovely Anand were awarded life imprisonment in this connection.

The former DM of Gopalganj G Krishnaiya was beaten up and shot dead by a violent mob accompanying a funeral procession at Muzaffarpur on December 5,1994 when he was returning to Gopalganj after attending an official meeting at Hajipur.

UNI