Bihar road rage killer back in jail as SC blocks his bail

New Delhi, Oct 28: Murder accused Rakesh Ranjan alias Rocky Yadav will return to jail as the Supreme Court on Friday put on hold a Pat High Court order that granted him bail. The court issued notice to Rakesh Ranjan alias Rocky Yadav and directed further hearing when the courts reopen after the Diwali break. Rocky, son of suspended Jata Dal-United member of legislative council Manorama Devi and an alleged history-sheeter Bindi Yadav, was accused of fatally shooting Class XII student Aditya Sachdeva after Aditya’s Swift car overtook his Land Rover on May 7. Rocky was arrested on May 11.

Blocking implemetion of the Pat High Court’s October 19 order that granted Rocky bail, an apex court bench of Justice S.A. Bobde and Justice Ashok Bhushan observed: “The chargesheet has already been filed in the case and this may go against you.” The chargesheet filed before a Gaya district court has med Rocky and another man as co-accused in the murder case.

Seeking cancellation of Rocky’s bail, the Bihar government’s petition contended that “he has shot dead a young boy on the highway because he could not tolerate a small Swift car overtaking his big and imported Land Rover”.

Describing the matter as an open-and-shut case, senior counsel Rajiv Dutta urged the court to either cancel the bail or put on old the high court order.

Granting bail to Rocky, the Pat High Court noted that co-accused Rajesh Kumar had already been granted bail. The petitioner said the high court ignored the vital fact that the bail had been granted to the co-accused only on the ground that Rocky, and not him, is the main accused.

Describing the grant of bail as complete miscarriage of justice, the Bihar government contended that “if this is not set right, public confidence in the crimil justice system would suffer”. The petition to tne Supreme Court said the high court considered irrelevant grounds, and that too incorrectly while granting bail to Rocky within six months.

The Bihar government said the high court ignored factors like ture and gravity of the offence, manner of commissioning, severity of punishment he would be given if convicted, character, position/status of his family, threats, intimidation and coercion of the prosecution witnesses and the victim’s family, and the offender’s capacity to tamper with evidence.

The petitioner maintained that Rocky would be sentenced to death if the offence under Section 27 of the Arms Act is established against him. Rocky is “intoxicated with an assumed sense of power and clout”, said the petitioner. (IANS)