Charges framed against Giriraj, others in 2014 train disruption case

Giriraj Singh said that the Congress has implicated them in the trial under a well thought out conspiracy and that he has full faith in the court and they will get justice.

PATNA: A special court in Muzaffarpur on Friday framed charges against 23 accused, including union minister Giriraj Singh, revenue minister Ramsurat Rai, and Vaishali MP Veena Devi, for disrupting the movement of trains during a protest over the denial of special category status to the state by the UPA government at the Centre in 2014, said the counsel who appeared for Giriraj.

Union minister Giriraj Singh. (PTI)

According to counsel Ashok Kumar, the accused applied for discharge application before the court while pleading innocence and even urged acquittal from the case; but their discharge petition was turned down.

“The court will start examining the prosecution witnesses after framing of the charges. All the accused are on bail. The court has upheld the bail after they were produced before the court and directed a speedy trial so that the case concludes within six months,” the counsel said.

After leaving the court, Giriraj Singh blamed the UPA government that was in power in 2014. He said that the Congress has implicated them in the trial under a well thought out conspiracy and that he has full faith in the court and they will get justice.

Giriraj Singh and the others were protesting in Muzaffarpur along with party supporters which led to the disruption of rail services in the district. An FIR (first information report) was registered against them by the railway police force (RPF) under sections of the Railway Protection Act and the matter was going on in the Sonepur railway court, Sonepur. The case was later transferred to the special MP-MLA court.