A Jharkhand court finds a close Lalu aide guilty of murder

Patna: Prabhunath Singh, a close-aide of former Bihar chief minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal leader, Lalu Prasad Yadav, was found guilty in a murder case, by the Hazaribagh District Court on Thursday.

The quantum of punishment will be pronounced by the court on May 23. Singh faced trial in Hazaribagh where the case was transferred on his request. The district town which is now in Jharkhand state was part of Bihar.

He was arrested and sent to Chhapra jail in Bihar. Soon he requested the Chhapra District Court where the case was first heard to transfer it to another court which was granted. The case was transferred to Hazaribagh Disgrict Court and he was lodged in Hazaribagh District Jail.

Singh who was a state minister in the Lalu council of ministers was the main accused in murder of Ashok Singh the then RJD member of assembly who was killed in a bomb attack.

He was elected from Masrakh constituency in Chhapra district of Bihar defeating the accused.

The murder was committed 22 years ago. In the FIR lodged in connection with the murder, his two brothers were also made accused. The court has held them guilty too. The case was filed by his wife, Chandani Devi which dragged on for more than two decades.

Prabhunath singh who was out on bail before the pronouncement of verdict was arrested soon after the order. He is one of the " musclemen " supporting Lalu, Another is Mohammad Shahabuddin who is also in jail facing a murder charge.

He is himself in a soup following accusation of amassing huge wealth through what have been described as shell companies. Raids have been conducted on 22 locations by the Income Tax officials in Delhi and Gurugram in this connection.

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