No place for 'dons' in state says Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar
“There is no place for dons in Bihar. If anyone is seen, he will be hurriedly sent to jail,” Kumar said at a function in Patna on Monday.
The remark comes amid severe attacks on the ruling government by the main opposition BJP, which accused the chief minister of indirectly helping Mohammad Shahabuddin secure bail from the Patna High Court and also charged him with compromising with his principles just to stay in power.
The observation assumes significance given the fact that Shahabuddin is a leader from Lalu Prasad’s RJD, which is a coalition partner in the ruling Nitish Kumar government.
The state government has already moved the Supreme Court seeking cancellation of the bail granted to Shahabuddin, ignoring “murmurings” in the RJD camp. The state government has sought cancelation of Shahabuddin’s bail, describing him as a “threat to the society”.
On Monday, the Supreme Court deferred hearing petition seeking cancellation of bail granted to Shahabuddin after the latter sought for more time to file his reply.
Now the matter will be heard on Wednesday (Sep 28), media reports said.
Reports said the court also pulled up the Bihar state government for showing urgency to cancel the bail granted by the Patna High Court stating the same should have been shown before.
Lawyer Prashant Bhushan told the court that Shahabuddin has 45 cases pending against him of which he has been convicted in 10 cases. Bhushan described Shahabuddin as a “threat to society”, reports said.
On Sunday, the Bihar government in a sudden development, had changed its lawyer hours before the Supreme Court was to hear a petition challenging Shahabuddin’s bail.
The government appointed Dinesh Dwivedi, a senior Supreme Court lawyer, to defend the government in the Supreme Court.
The move conveys the message that the state government is in no mood to show leniency in this case.
Both Prashant Kishore and the state government have filed separate petitions in the apex court, challenging the bail granted by the Patna High Court.
Last week, Shahabuddin was served noticed by the SC asking him to reply why his bail should not be cancelled. Shahabuddin has hired eminent lawyer Ram Jethmalani to defend him in the apex court.
The RJD strongman was released from jail on September 10 after 11 years of incarceration.
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