The Supreme Court has sentenced two person including former MLA Munna Shukla and Mantu Tiwari to life imprisonment in connection with murder case of former Bihar minister Brij Bihari Prasad.

The murder case dates back to 1998.

A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna, Sanjay Kumar and R Mahadevan partially set aside the Patna High Court verdict acquitting all the accused. It has asked convicts Mantu Tiwari and Munna Shukla to surrender within 15 days.

The court has given benefit of doubt to six other accused and upheld their acquittal ordered by the High Court in the case. This includes former MP Surajbhan Singh also.

SC has established the charges under 302 (murder) and 307 (attempt to murder) of the IPC against Munna Shukla.

1998 murder of former Bihar minister Brij Bihari Prasad case | Supreme Court upholds the trial court order convicting and awarding life imprisonment to Munna Shukla and one other. However, Supreme Court acquits former MP Surajbhan Singh and five others. pic.twitter.com/6XLql8xYNx

— ANI (@ANI) October 3, 2024

What Was The Case?

Brij Bihari Prasad was a RJD leader and served as Bihar’s Minister for Science and Technology. He was assassinated on 13 June 1998 at Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences in Patna. Bihari was undergoing treatment in judicial custody. He was arrested for alleged involvement in BECEE scam.

He was shot while he was taking stroll around 8:30 pm on 13 June 1998. His wife Rama Dev had filed the complaint.

According to the reports he had rivalry with Chhotan Shukla, a gangster and leader of Bihar People’s Party of Anand Mohan Singh. There was war of supremacy between Chhotan and Brij Bihari.

Chhotan was killed in 1994 and Brij Bihari Prasad was accused of the murder. The goons were said to be working for Brij Bihari. After Chhotan’s death, the command of the gang was handed over to Bhutkun Shukla. Bhutkun Shukla then killed Omkar Singh, who was considered a special man of Brij Bihari to avenge Chhotan’s death. Munna Shukla was Chhotan’s brother.

Brij Bihari was murdered at a time when gang war was at its peak in Bihar. It was reported that Shri Prakash Shukla, a popular don in UP had taken the contract of killing Brij Bihari.

The Patna high court on 2014 had acquitted former MLAs Vijay Kumar Shukla alias Munna Shukla and Rajan Tiwari, former MP Suraj Bhan Singh and six others in the case of murder of former minister Brij Bihari Prasad.

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