MLA murder case: SC dismisses D P Yadav's plea for bail

The Supreme Court Friday dismissed a plea of controversial Uttar Pradesh politician D P Yadav, serving life imprisonment in a murder case, seeking bail on medical grounds.

The apex court, however, directed the Dehradun Jail authorities to "take all steps" to ensure that his medical condition is taken care of.

Yadav, who was earlier granted interim bail to undergo a spinal surgery at the Yashoda Hospital and Research Centre in Ghaziabad, surrendered back to jail on December 6 last year after the procedure on the order of the apex court.

The fresh plea said Yadav has been facing post-operative complications and he be granted bail in view of the fact that even the jail authorities have suggested his treatment at All India Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said it would not grant him the bail and rather ask the Nainital High Court to expedite the hearing on his appeal against the conviction in the murder case.

"Heard counsel for the petitioner and perused the relevant material. We are not inclined to entertain this special leave petition. The same is, accordingly, dismissed.

"However, we direct the jail authorities to take all steps that may be required in accordance with law to ensure that the medical needs of the petitioner, Dharampal Singh Yadav alias D P Yadav, who is stated to be suffering from serious post-operative ailments, is adequately taken care of," the bench, also comprising justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna, said.

Yadav was awarded life imprisonment by a CBI court in Dehradun in 2015 for his role in the murder of Mahendra Singh Bhati, an MLA from Ghaziabad's Dadri area. The lawmaker was shot dead at Dadri railway crossing in December 1992.

Earlier, the apex court had extended the interim bail of Yadav and had asked him to surrender before Dehradun jail authorities on December 6 last year to serve the remainder of his life sentence.

Yadav's appeal against the 2015 trial court verdict is pending in the high court.

Besides Yadav, the trial court had also convicted Pal Singh, Karan Yadav and Praneet Bhati for offences of murder, attempt to murder and criminal conspiracy of the IPC in the case.

The case was transferred to the CBI court in Dehradun in 2000 on the direction of the Supreme Court after doubts were expressed about a fair trial in the case in Uttar Pradesh as Yadav was an influential politician in the state.