Another convict secures bail from HC in Ramgarh lynching case

Another convict in the June 2017 case of cow vigilantism at Ramgarh was today granted bail by the Jharkhand High Court on the ground of lack of evidence against him.

A division bench of justices H C Mishra and B B Mangalmurti granted bail to Chhotu Verma, who was the 10th person out of the total 11 convicted by a fast track court in Ramgarh, to get relief from the high court in the lynching case.

Eight were granted bail by the high court on June 29, while another had walked out of the Hazaribagh central jail after the court granted him relief on June 8, defense counsel B M Tripathy said.

Deepak Mishra, who too was convicted by the fast track court in the case, is lodged in Hazaribagh central jail.

One accused in the case is a minor and inquiry into his role is being conducted by the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB), Tripathy said.

On March 21, the fast track court had convicted the 11 to life imprisonment for the lynching of coal trader Alimuddin Ansari on June 29 last year on suspicion that he was carrying beef in his vehicle.

Ansari's widow Mariam Khatoon had lodged an FIR with Ramgarh town police station against 17 people including BJP functionary Nityanand Mahto. The investigating officer had filed a charge sheet against 12 of 17 accused, including the juvenile and the Ramgarh fast track court had convicted 11 of them and sentenced them to life term imprisonment.

Union Minister of Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha created controversy for garlanding the eight convicts at his residence in Hazaribagh last week after they secured bail.