Bihar deputy CM lied before SC to escape trial in murder case, alleges Prashant Kishor

Patna, Sep 29 (PTI) Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor on Monday alleged that Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary had escaped trial in a decades-old murder case by "falsely" claiming to be a minor before the Supreme Court.

Addressing a press conference here, Kishor said Choudhary's affidavit, filed in 2020 at the time of getting elected to the state legislative council, flew in the face of his earlier claim before the apex court, and demanded his "immediate dismissal".

Choudhary, a former state BJP president who holds crucial portfolios like finance in the Nitish Kumar government, was not available for comments immediately.

Kishor said, "We will seek an appointment with the governor tomorrow to press for Choudhary's sacking. We also urge Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his ally BJP to act now, else they shall stand exposed before the people." He also alleged that Choudhary had "faced trial in a case involving the murder of six people in his native Tarapur, in Munger district, way back in 1995".

"He moved the Supreme Court, claiming that he was only 14 years of age when the mass murder took place. He was let off since juveniles could not be put on trial," the Jan Suraaj Party founder claimed.

"If we look at Choudhary's affidavit of 2020, he states his age at the time to be 51 years. Taking that into account, he would have been in his 20s in 1995. These facts make him liable for prosecution," Kishor alleged.

These are serious charges, he said.

"My previous charges, against the deputy CM, of getting a D.Litt degree without having cleared Class X exams, were less grave. I also challenge Choudhary to come clean on his role in the Shilpi-Gautam murder case, which many remember only for Sadhu Yadav," said Kishor.

Shilpi Jain and Gautam Singh were found dead, in 1999, inside a car in a semi-nude state, triggering shock waves across Patna.

The vehicle was parked close to the house of Sadhu Yadav, a brother of Rabri Devi, the then Chief Minister of the state.

Following an outcry, the case was handed over to the CBI, which filed a closure report a few years later, declaring the deaths to be a case of suicide.

Choudhary was then a minister in the state, his cabinet berth seen as a "reward" for his father Shakuni Choudhary switching allegiance from the Samata Party to the RJD. PTI SUK NAC BDC