NEW DELHI, 10 October 2004 — Taking a serious view of the conduct of RJD candidate from Madhepura, Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav, the Supreme Court has issued a notice asking him to show cause why he should not be shifted from Beur jail in Patna to a prison outside Bihar.
The Supreme Court on Oct. 1, had stayed the Patna High Court order granting bail to him in a case pertaining to the murder of CPI-M leader Ajit Sarkar, and had directed authorities to take him into custody immediately.
A bench comprising Justices N. Santosh Hegde and S.B. Sinha, while severely criticizing the CBI for its inaction, asked Yadav and the Bihar government to file their response to an application moved by the brother of Kalyan Sarkar, seeking a direction to shift the accused outside Bihar. The court fixed Oct. 15 for further hearing on the matter.
Though the apex court stayed the bail order on Oct. 1 on the petition filed by Sarkar, the accused surrendered before the authorities four days later, carrying on with his normal routine during that time.
The court observed that inaction on the part of the CBI officers had “frustrated” its order directing the authorities to take Yadav into custody immediately.
Taking exception to the delay in taking Yadav into custody, the bench asked the CBI as to why it remained inactive for four days. When the CBI lawyer said that there was a direction to Yadav to surrender before the authorities, the bench said it was the duty of the investigating officer to take him into custody on the basis of the court order.
“Do not ask us to explain our orders which are very clear. If you (CBI) do not know the consequence of our order, then we are sorry you did not do what was expected of you,” the bench observed.
Meanwhile, the Janata Dal (United) yesterday said Pappu Yadav, with patronage of party chief Lalu Prasad, now wanted to promote criminal activities in Madhepura district, as he had done in neighboring Purnea district.
“It will be very unfortunate for the people of Madhepura if Pappu Yadav, known for his criminal activities, wins the bypoll. He will make Madhepura a Purnea, his native parliamentary constituency, where he vitiated the environment by promoting gun culture,” senior JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav told reporters here.
Accusing the RJD and its chief Lalu Prasad of ruining Bihar during the past 14 years of the party’s rule in the state, Yadav said after ‘ruining’ the state the railway minister has moved to Delhi to do the same to the entire country.
