Hours after the Supreme Court cancelled his bail, controversial RJD leader Shahabuddin surrendered before a Siwan court on Friday.
“I respect the judiciary, I don’t care about what people say,” said Shahabuddin before surrendering.
“Take him into custody immediately,” the court told the Bihar government. A man whose three sons were allegedly killed on Mr. Shahabuddin’s orders had petitioned against his release on bail.
The bench said Shahabuddin shall be taken into custody forthwith and be sent back to Bhagalpur jail. “The state government shall take all steps to comply with the orders of the court,” it said. The court has also asked for speeding up the murder trial against the gangster-turned-politician.
Shahabuddin was granted bail by High Court on September 7 in connection with murder of an eye-witness, whose two brothers had been killed by his henchmen. In the double murder case, Shahabuddin has been convicted and sentenced to life term.
The order quashing the High Court decision to free Shahabuddin comes despite the Bench flaying the lacklustre performance of the Bihar government on the prosecution side. The Bench had castigated the State for its 17-month delay in conducting the trial and almost zero interest it had shown in preventing Shahabuddin from getting bail in the High Court.
Shahabuddin, who got bail from the Patna High Court in the murder case on September 7, 2016, had argued that there was a “conscious delay” on the part of the State in conducting the trial, compelling him to seek bail.
The Supreme Court order came on separate pleas by the State and the victim’s father, Chandrakeshwar Prasad to cancel Shahabuddin’s bail.
The top court asked the trial court to expeditiously conclude the Rajiv Roshan murder case allegedly involving Shahabuddin.
Roshan, the eyewitness to the gruesome killings of two of his younger siblings, was also killed few days before his proposed testimony in the murder case of his brothers.
Shahabuddin’s bail was challenged in the apex court by the family of the victim. Bihar government had also opposed his bail in the top court.
