5 convicted in murder of minister's husband

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A court in Bihar's Patna district today convicted five persons in the murder of Social Welfare Minister Lesi Singh's husband Butan Singh 15 years ago and fixed January 17 for the award of punishment.
Additional District Judge (ADJ) - III Ravishankar Sinha passed the order convicting five persons under section 302 (murder), 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) and section 27 of the Arms Act in the high profile murder case.
Singh was shot dead by armed men in Purnia court on April 19, 2000, while he was brought there from the district jail in connection with the trial of a murder case in which he was an accused.

Singh, who was the Purnia district president of Samata Party, was murdered allegedly due to political rivalry with Dilip Yadav, an RJD strongman and former Dhamdaha MLA, who was named among eight accused persons in the FIR.
The court, however, acquitted Yadav and two others - Manoj Yadav, Vikram Yadav alias Sanjay Yadav - for lack of evidences against the three.
Those convicted in the Social Welfare minister's husband are - Raghvendra Narayan Singh, Vijay Singh, Vipin Kumar alias W Yadav, Nishikant Yadav alias Nishi Yadav and Ramnarayan alias Rama Yadav.

The Bihar police had initially probed the said murder case before the CBI took over and chargesheeted the accused in 2008.

The agency produced 50 witnessed during trial to clinch conviction of five accused person in the case.
Singh's widow, Lesi Singh subsequently contested and won Assembly polls from her late husband's political turf - Dhamdaha and was inducted by then chief minister Nitish Kumar in his government in May, last year.