Soren convicted for Jha's murder: asked to resign

New Delhi, Nov 28 (UNI) A city court today held Union Minister of Coal Shibu Soren guilty of the murder of his personal assistant Shashinath Jha, prompting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to seek his resignation from the Union Cabinet.

''Mr Soren has been asked to put in his papers immediately,'' a PMO spokesman said.

Additional Sessions Judge B R Kedia also held four other people guilty of having killed Jha on November 28, 1994.

The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader was rushed to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences after a complaint of heart ailment.

The judge pronounced Shibu guilty of criminal conspiracy, murder and abduction. The Union Minister can face either life imprisonment or death sentence. However, the court will decide about the quantum of punishment on November 30.

Four other accomplices held guilty for different charges are Ajay Mehta, Shailendra Bhattacharya, Pashupatinath Mehta and Nandkishore Mehta.

Shailendra Bhattacharya, Ajay Mehta and Nandkishore Mehta have all been held guilty of destroying evidences.

The court however acquitted Ashish Thakur and Sunil Khaware of the charges.

The court held that Shibu had a strong motive to get Shashinath Jha murdered.

The CBI had alleged that Shibu had asked his CA Sushil Kumar to get transferred into his PNB account at Naoroji Nagar the money for voting in favour of PV Narasimha Rao government on the floor of Lok Sabha.

However, Shashinath Jha, unaware of the transaction, got wind of the money transfer and obtained the details from Sushil Kumar over an extended session of drinks, according to the prosecution.

Jha blackmailed Shibu into sharing the booty. Although the latter obliged by helping set up an export house with a fund of Rs 5 lakh, the enterprise sank. It afforded Jha another opportunity to ask for more money, provoking Shibu into hatching a conspiracy to get rid of Jha, the CBI said.

The CBI had also alleged that Jha had expressed to his mother Priyambada Devi and elder brother Vijaynath Jha apprehension of murder three days before his mysterious disappearance.

Shibu Soren, meanwhile, has been taken to the AIIMS for a medical check-up, following chest pain. Sources said that he would be taken to Tihar jail afterwards.

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