Bihar Dy CM Choudhary misrepresented age to escape trial: Prashant Kishor

In the 1995 case, Samrat Choudhary claimed in the Supreme Court that his age was 14 years and was let off since juveniles could not be put on trial, Prashant Kishor alleged

Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) founder Prashant Kishor on Monday accused Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary of evading trial in an old murder case by allegedly misrepresenting himself as a minor before the Supreme Court (SC).

 

What is the case?

 

Addressing a press conference, Kishor said that the former Bihar chief of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) "faced trial in a case involving the murder of six people in his native Tarapur, in Munger district, way back in 1995".

 

How did Choudhary allegedly evade trial?

 

Kishor pointed out that Choudhary had stated his age as 51 in his 2020 affidavit while contesting for the state legislative council, which, by that calculation, would place him in his 20s in 1995.

 

 

"If we look at Choudhary's affidavit of 2020, he states his age at the time to be 51 years. Taking that into account, he would have been in his 20s in 1995. These facts make him liable for prosecution," Kishor alleged.

 

In the 1995 case, Choudhary claimed in the SC that his age was 14 years and was then let off since juveniles could not be put on trial, Kishor alleged.

 

Prashant Kishor demands immediate dismissal

 

Kishor demanded Choudhary’s “immediate dismissal” from the post, stressing that these were serious charges.

 

"We will seek an appointment with the governor tomorrow to press for Choudhary's sacking. We also urge Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his ally BJP to act now, else they shall stand exposed before the people," he said.

 

Shilpi-Gautam murder case

 

"My previous charges, against the deputy CM, of getting a D.Litt degree without having cleared Class X exams, were less grave. I also challenge Choudhary to come clean on his role in the Shilpi-Gautam murder case, which many remember only for Sadhu Yadav," Kishor said.

 

Shilpi Jain and Gautam Singh were found dead in 1999 inside a car in a semi-nude state, triggering shock waves across Patna.

 

The vehicle was parked close to the house of Sadhu Yadav, a brother of Rabri Devi, the then Chief Minister of the state.

 

Following an outcry, the case was handed over to the CBI, which filed a closure report a few years later, declaring the deaths a case of suicide.

 

Choudhary was then a minister in the state, his cabinet berth seen as a "reward" for his father Shakuni Choudhary switching allegiance from the Samata Party to the Rashtriya Janata Dal.