Shahabuddin moves HC against life imprisonment

RJD Lok Sabha member moves the Patna High Court against a Siwan court order sentencing him to life imprisonment for kidnapping a CPI-ML worker.

Incarcerated RJD Lok Sabha member from Siwan Mohammed Shahabuddin on Wednesday moved the Patna High Court against a Siwan court order sentencing him to life imprisonment for kidnapping a CPI-ML worker in 1999.

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The appeal against the May 8 verdict of a special court in Siwan was filed by his counsel Rajesh Kumar Singh.

In his petition, the controversial RJD MP described the lower court order as "unwarranted" and said he was convicted on the basis of the statement of a lone eyewitness, who identified him more than seven years and nine months after the incident in which a CPI-ML worker Chotelal Gupta was allegedly kidnapped by him.

Shahabuddin said earlier to his identification in the court no test identification parade was held.

Additional District and Sessions judge Gyaneshwar Prasad Srivastava had on May 8 sentenced Shahabuddin to life imprisonment besides imposing a fine of Rs 10,000.

He was given three months' time to go in appeal against the sentence.

The judge had on May 5 pronounced him guilty under section 364 (kidnapping or abducting in order to murder) in the case relating to kidnapping of Chote Lal Gupta on February 7, 1999.

Shahabuddin was the lone name in the FIR as others were unidentified.

The prosecution had failed to establish the murder of Gupta as his body was never found.