Scribe murder case: Shahabuddin produced before court through video conferencing

Controversial RJD leader Mohammad Shahabuddin and five others were on Wednesday produced before a court here in journalist Rajdeo Ranjan murder case.

Shahabuddin, who is currently lodged in Delhi's Tihar jail, was produced before the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Birendra Kumar through video conferencing.

The five other accused were present in court. Two other accused persons could not be produced in the court due to ill-health.

The CBI is probing the case and has named Shahabuddin and seven others as accused in its charge sheet.

The other accused are Azahruddin Beig alias Laddan Mian, Vijay Kumar Gupta, Rohit Kumar Sony, Rajesh Kumar, Rishu Kumar Jaiswal, Sonu Kumar Gupta and Sonu Kumar Sony.

Beig and Vijay Kumar Gupta, who are lodged in Bhagalpur jail and Muzaffarpur jail, respectively, and undergoing treatment at different hospitals, could not be produced in the court due to ill-health, defence lawyer Sharad Sinha said.

The court has completed the hearing on two discharge petitions filed by Sonu Kumar Sony and Rohit Kumar Sony, he said.

It fixed December 19 as the next date of hearing for framing of charges against all the accused persons in the case.

The accused have been charged under sections 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code and section 27 of the Arms Act.

Shahabuddin, a four-time RJD MP from Siwan, is alleged to have been involved in the murder of Ranjan, a journalist of a prominent Hindi daily in the district.

He is facing trial in more than 45 criminal cases and was moved to Tihar Jail in February 2017 on a Supreme Court order following a plea by Siwan resident Chandrakeshwar Prasad, whose three sons were allegedly killed on behest of Shahabuddin.

Ranjan was gunned down on May 13, 2016 and his wife has accused Shahabuddin of having a role in the killing.