Ranchi, July 22
The Jharkhand High Court posted for hearing tomorrow Coal Minister Shibu Soren’s petition challenging the non-bailable warrant issued against him in Chirrudih massacre case after a Judge today declined to hear the plea saying he had taken dying declaration of one of the accused in the case. Chief Justice P.K. Subramanium Aiyer ordered that the case relating to the non-bailable arrest warrant issued against Soren by a lower court in the 1975 Chirrudih massacre case will be listed for tomorrow.
The direction came after Justice Laxman Oram, who was to take up the case during the day, declined to do so saying he had recorded the dying declaration of Lakhendra Soren, one of the accused in the massacre, when he was posted as Judicial Magistrate, Jamtara.
Therefore, he said the matter should be heard by any other Bench decided by the Chief Justice and advised Soren’s counsel R.K. Jain to approach him.
Soren had challenged the SDJM court’s non-bailable arrest warrant and property attachment order against him.
He is seeking a direction from the court to the state government to withdraw the case, registered under various sections of the IPC, including murder.
Soren has prayed to the court to quash the
proceedings against him following the Jharkhand government’s assurance in the first Assembly session after the state’s creation to withdraw all cases related to the Jharkhand movement.
NEW DELHI: In yet another case involving Shibu Soren, a Delhi court today recorded the statement of a prosecution witness in the murder of Shashi Nath Jha, one-time secretary of the JMM supremo, who is facing trial along with six others on charges of kidnapping and murdering him 10 years ago.
Additional Sessions Judge Indermeet Kaur Kochar recorded the deposition by Assistant Sub-Inspector V.K. Pandey who was produced by the CBI. Pandey will be cross-examined by the accused tomorrow.
— PTI
