Patna HC reopens twin murder case against former MP Prabhuna

Patna High Court has reopened a 1995 case of double murder in which Prabhunath Singh, a former MP of the ruling JD(U) in Bihar, was acquitted by the lower court on October 24, 2008.

The High Court initiated suo moto criminal revision of the judgment of lower court Judge Manmohan Chaudhary acquitting Parbhunath Singh and six others.

During the administrative review of the case, the Patna High Court found that prima-facie, provision of the established law was ignored in the judgment acquitting Singh and others.

Singh and six others were accused in a case related to twin murders committed at Panapur in Saran district on March 23, 1995.

According to the FIR, Gajendra Rai and Daroga Rai were shot dead when they were returning home after casting votes on March 23, 1995 during Bihar Assembly elections.

The trial of the case was shifted to Patna from Bhagalpur on the directive of Patna High Court while hearing a petition of the relative of the deceased. In the petition, it was alleged that fair trial was not possible at Bhagalpur as the witnesses were being influenced by the accused.

After the trial, the local court of Manmohan Chaudhary pronounced the judgment on October 24, 2008, acquitting Singh and six others on the ground that there was ‘no concrete evidence’ indicating their involvement in the case.