Fresh 10-year RI sentenced to Shahabuddin

Siwan (Bihar), Sept 26 : A special court on Friday sentenced jailed Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Mohammad Shahabuddin to 10 years' rigorous imprisonment (RI) in a case related to recovery of a sophisticated weapon and ammunitions from his native house at Pratappur village in the District in 2005.

Police had also leveled sedition charges against the MP in the FIR pertaining to this case. But due to lack of evidence the court acquitted him.

The court acquitted the Siwan MP in another case related to alleged assault on Ander Police Station officer-in-charge (OC) Sandesh Baitha.

Besides the ten-year RI, the special court of Additional District Judge G Srivastava also awarded three-year RI to him under different Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections applied in the case. It also slapped a fine of Rs 15,000 on him, prosecution counsel R B Mahato said and added both the sentences would run concurrently.

According to the prosecution, a police team on April 24, 2005 raided the MP's house and recovered a German made pistol and 200 contraband cartridges under his bed.

However, Shahabuddin's lawyer AK Rajan argued in the court that Shahabuddin was not present in Siwan during the period as the district administration had externed him from the district.

This was the sixth case in which Shahabuddin, currently lodged in the Siwan jail, has been convicted so far.

Earlier, Shahabuddin was awarded three-year jail term in a case of attack on the local Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) office and life term in another case of kidnapping of CPI-ML activist Chhote Lal Gupta.

Shahabuddin has been awarded ten-year RI for making a murderous attack on the then Siwan Suprintendent of Police S K Singhal and another one-year imprisonment for threatening Zeeradei police station officer in charge.

The MP has also been given three-year jail term in a case pertaining to recovery of stolen vehicles from his Pratappur house.

ANI