Conduct sealed Soren's fate

Additional Sessions Judge BR Kedia relies upon the conduct of the mastermind of the conspiracy to pronounce him guilty, reports Satya Prakash.

The law has finally caught up with the man who considered himself to be above it. "Main Khud CBI hoon (I am the CBI)," Shibu Soren had told Jha's mother Priyamvada Devi when she made a request to the JMM leader for handing over the case to the CBI.

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Additional Sessions Judge BR Kedia, who sentenced Soren and four others to life imprisonment for the abduction and murder of his one-time confidant, heavily relied upon the conduct of the mastermind of the conspiracy to pronounce him guilty.

Soren had even offered Rs 3-4 lakh to Jha's brother Vijay Nath Jha through one Bhaskar for withdrawing the case and threatened him on his refusal to accept the money and expressed his willingness to bear the expense incurred on the education of Jha's daughters.

Right from the sudden and mysterious disappearance of Shashi Nath Jha on the fateful night of May 22-23, 1994 from the capital till the completion of probe, the court analysed his conduct and concluded that it was "not normal" and was consistent with his guilt.

The court found his conduct to be that of a criminal planning things meticulously and avoiding facing the victim's family and the stark truth. Jha's removal from a firm run by the Soren family just a month before his murder was also a circumstance that went against him.

In fact, the court enumerated the circumstantial evidence that went on to corroborate the forensic evidence of post-mortem report, skull superimposition report and skull injury report and eyewitnesses' account pointing towards his involvement in the crime.

Soren's absence from the capital and the place of occurrence too could not save him as the court read his departure on 17th-18th May, 1994 to Bokaro, a place not far away from Paska Nagri where Jha's body was found, as a circumstance against him.

Soren and his family had even warned complainant Amar Nath Jha, brother of the deceased, against mentioning the name of anyone in the police complaint as suspect. "Aap kisi ka bhi naam lenge to hum se bura koi nahin hoga," Soren had told Amar Nath on June 2, 1994.

Even before the CBI could crack the case and it could be known that Jha had died, Soren was talking to his family members in a manner that clearly indicated that his secretary had already died. The testimony of Priyambada Devi and the niece of the deceased brought this particular conduct of the JMM leader on record.

He had also told Jha's family members that even if they search for him, they could do so only in Delhi and not beyond. He used to avoid Jha's relatives whenever they contacted him for tracing the deceased.

The court also took into account the fact that Soren gave JMM ticket from Hatia to co-convict Nand Kishore Mehta ignoring claims of other party workers during the 1995 assembly polls.

Email Satya Prakash: satya.prakash@hindustantimes.com