Reconsider release of Anand Mohan: IAS body to Bihar government
The Central IAS Association, the apex body of central civil services officers, urged the Bihar government to reconsider its decision to amend the prison manual, which will allow Anand Mohan Singh, convicted of killing an IAS officer, to be released. "Such dilution leads to impunity, erosion in morale of public servants, undermines public order, and makes a mockery of administration of justice," it said.
Why does this story matter?
Former MP and gangster-turned-politician Singh is the founder of the now-defunct Bihar People's Party. In 1994, G Krishnaiah, the then-District Magistrate of Gopalganj, was killed by a mob allegedly provoked by Singh. He was attacked by a mob protesting the death of Chhotan Shukla, another gangster-politician from Singh's party. The Nitish Kumar-led government in Bihar is now facing criticism for releasing Singh.
Tantamount to denial of justice: IAS Association
The IAS body said that the changes to the classification rules of prisoners to pave the way for Singh's release were "tantamount to the denial of justice." It underlined that an individual convicted for the murder of a public servant on duty cannot be re-classified to a less heinous category. Notably, the amendment to the law facilitated the release of 26 others as well.
Singh was first politician since Independence to receive death penalty
The law, which was amended earlier this month, allowed remission of jail terms for those convicted of murdering a public servant on duty. In 2007, a lower court sentenced him to death. However, in 2008 the Patna High Court commuted the sentence to life imprisonment and the Supreme Court upheld the decision in 2012. He has been in prison for 15 years.
'Poor Anand Mohan' became 'scapegoat': Giriraj Singh
While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has criticized Bihar's ruling coalition of the Janata Dal (United) and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) for Singh's release, its leaders were seen meeting him. BJP MP Giriraj Singh also supported Singh's release. Singh is currently on parole, and his son Chetan Anand, RJD MLA from Bihar's Sheohar, is set to get married on May 3 in Dehradun.
Amendment to law anti-Dalit, reconsider: Mayawati to Nitish Kumar
Notably, requests for Singh's release came from leaders across party lines in Bihar. Singh is a member of the Rajput community, which is the region's prominent caste. He co-founded the Samata Party with Kumar. Meanwhile, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati termed the release "anti-Dalit."
