A local court in Bihar on Thursday granted bail to Mohammad Kaif, who is the prime accused in the murder of Siwan-based senior journalist Rajdeo Ranjan.
Hearing the case, special Central Bureau of Investigation court judge Anupama Kumari granted bail to Mohammad Kaif alias Bunti as the charge-sheet against him was not submitted to the court within the stipulated 90-days time of his arrest. The CBI counsel, however, was not present during the hearing in the court.
“CBI officials could not submit the charge-sheet in the case in 90 days time which shows there is nothing against my client who is innocent,” said Sharad Sinha, counsel for Mohammad Kaif.
The CBI had registered a case against Kaif under Sections 120 B, 302, 34 of IPC and Section 27 of the Arms Act.
To remain in jail
He is currently lodged in the Siwan district jail and is likely to remain there until he gets bail in another case pending against him in Siwan court, said Mr Sinha. “Once he gets bail in the other case he will be out of the prison,” the lawyer said.
Earlier, Mohammad Kaif and some of his associates were made accused in the murder case of Siwan-based senior journalist Rajdeo Ranjan who was working for a national vernacular newspaper as Siwan Bureau head. Ranjan was shot dead at a fruit market in Siwan town when he was returning home from his office on May 13 night.
Kaif and his friends remained absconding in the case until he was sighted in videos and photographs with ex-RJD MP Mohd. Shahabuddin during his release from the Bhagalpur jail.
Later, the State government handed over the case to the CBI but the investigating agency started the probe into the case on the intervention of the Supreme Court after slain journalist’s wife Asha Ranjan filed a petition before it on September 23 last year.
In her petition, Ms. Ranjan reportedly said that the CBI was not investigating the case under some political pressure as “former RJD MP and bahubali (strongman) of Siwan Mohd. Shahabuddin could be behind the murder of her husband.”
