SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Nov 16: The Dhanbad court today exonerated Pappu Singh alias Ravi Shankar Singh, BJP Balia (Uttar Pradesh) MLA and grandson of former Prime Minister Chandrashekhar in a 26-year-old murder case of coal trader Sanjay Singh.
Senior advocate Jaya Kumar appeared in the court in Pappu Singh’s defence. The court of District and Session Judge Akhilesh Kumar while delivering the judgement absolved Pappu Singh from the charge in lack of evidence. The court said that the prosecutor failed to prove who killed Sanjay Singh.
Coal trader Sanjay Singh was gunned down on May 26, 1996, on Luby Circular Road near the official residence of Dhanbad Superintendent of Police (SP) while going from a car in the morning.
On the statement of Krishna Singh, the police had filed an FIR against Pappu Singh and Congress senior leader Suresh Singh. However, the CID investigation gave them a clean chit to them and made Ramadhir Singh, the younger brother of late MLA Suryadev Singh and the others accused.
However, the police investigation made Suresh Singh and Pappu Singh accused in the case. Later, Suresh was also gunned down in 2012. Ramadhir Singh was absolved from the charges in court on March 22, 2018.
The police filed a charge sheet in the court on January 23, 2019, against Pappu Singh in the Sanjay Singh murder case and directed a trial.
Three witnesses namely Krishna Singh, Pushpa Singh (wife of Sanjay Singh) and police officer Ashok Singh (IO of the case) got their statements recorded in the court. Krishna Singh and Pushpa Singh said Pappu Singh had no involvement in the murder but IO Ashok Singh gave a statement against him (Pappu).
Earlier on November 10, Pappu Singh appeared in the court of district and session judge Akhilesh Kumar.
After being exonerated, the Balia MLA said that finally the court has given him justice. “I was innocent and had been trapped in false murder charge under conspiracy,” he said to media persons after judgement.
