HC orders shifting of trial of MP to Patna

Patna, Mar 13 (UNI) The Patna High Court today ordered to shift the trial of a murder case pending against JD(U) MP Prabhunath Singh from Bhagalpur sessions court to Patna and conclude it within three months.

A division Bench comprising Justices Aftab Alam and Samrendra Pratap Singh passed the order on a habeas corpus petition filed by Harendra Rai in connection with alleged kidnapping of his mother Lalmuni Devi by the henchmen of Mr Singh.

The court also directed the state government to appoint a special public prosecutor for speedy completion of the trial.

The court, which had reserved its order on the petition on March nine, also scrapped the evidence recorded by Ms Devi in the Bhagalpur trial court on November three, 2006.

The case was related to alleged kidnapping of Ms Devi, a witness in the 1995 murder case of two people, including her son Rajendra Rai, in which Mr Singh was an accused.

Mr Rai filed the petition alleging that his mother was kidnapped by the goons of the JD(U) leader on October 24, 2006, prior to her appearance before the Bhagalpur court, where she had to depose as witness in the murder case involving the MP.

Earlier in November last year, Ms Devi had appeared before this bench and stated that she was forced by the henchmen of the JD(U) leader to turn hostile in the murder case of her son.

Mr Rai had also lodged an FIR at Mashrakh police station, alleging that JD(U) leader's goons had kidnapped his mother Ms Devi, while another FIR was lodged by Shankar Rai at Panapur police station, stating that the same woman, his aunt, was abducted by the henchmen of Congress leader and former MLA Tarkeshwar Singh.

UNI