Court acquits ex-MLA, five others in murder case

Former Uttar Pradesh MLA Udai Bhan Singh and five others were today acquitted in a 2003 murder case by a Delhi court which cited lack of evidence against them.
Special CBI Judge Parveen Singh freed the six accused in the case which was transferred to the national capital from Uttar Pradesh by the Supreme Court on March 28, 2008, on the ground that a fair trial was not possible in the state against the accused leader.
The court had earlier framed charges against the accused under various provisions of IPC dealing with murder, attempt to murder, criminal conspiracy and intimidation.

According to CBI, the accused had allegedly conspired and hired two criminals to kill Rakesh Pandey, an eye-witness in a triple murder case, on the morning of February 17, 2003 at Gopiganj police station at Sant Ravidas Nagar district near Varanasi.
Pandey, who had refused to accept Rs five lakh for not deposing in the triple murder case, was threatened and later shot dead allegedly at the behest of Udai Bhan, CBI had said, adding that two others had also sustained bullet injuries during the incident.
Initially, the then MLA and nine others were arraigned as accused. However, three accused -- Santosh Kumar Singh, Vinod Kumar Singh and Bashir Khan -- died during the pendency of trial and co-accused, Kallu, was declared a proclaimed offender.

Besides the former MLA, the other facing trial in the case were Sandeep, Ashok Mishra, Raj Nath Mishra, Mabud Khan and Vishal Singh.