Bihar don-turned-politician and former RJD MP Rajesh Ranjan, alias Pappu Yadav, was on Friday acquitted by the Patna high court of all charges in connection with the 1998 murder of CPI(M) legislator Ajit Sarkar for lack of evidence.
Setting aside the February 2008 conviction by a special CBI court of Mr Yadav and two other accused — former Lok Janshakti Party legislator Rajan Tiwari and Anil Kumar Yadav — a division bench of Justices V.N. Singh and K.K. Lal acquitted the three men of all charges. The high court also ordered the immediate release of Mr Yadav, currently serving a life sentence in Patna’s Beur Central Jail, unless he was wanted in any other case.
Mr Yadav’s wife, former LJP MP Ranjita Ranjan, who is currently with the Congress, hailed the verdict as a “victory of truth and our faith in justice” while the slain CPI(M) leader’s shocked widow, Ms Madhvi Sarkar, termed it a “miscarriage of justice”. She said she would soon appeal against the acquittal in the Supreme Court.
Hundreds of supporters of Mr Yadav, who still wields political influence in Bihar’s Kosi belt despite being behind bars, took out celebratory processions, distributed sweets and smeared colours on one another.