Patna High Court. File Photo
By Neeraj Kumar
Patna: The Patna High Court on Tuesday heard a petition concerning the withdrawal of a bodyguard provided to JD(U) leader Shishupal Bharti alias Shishupal Yadav, and strongly reprimanded the Bihar government over the matter. Hearing the criminal writ petition filed by advocate Deepak Kumar Sinha, Justice Arun Kumar Jha directed the state government to file a detailed counter-affidavit within three weeks.
The High Court issued clear instructions to the government to respond comprehensively to all facts raised in the petition.
Presenting the case, advocate Deepak Kumar Sinha informed the court that on November 4, 2019, Chiranjivi Prasad Yadav alias Dhuri Yadav, the elder brother of the informant, was shot dead under the jurisdiction of Urdu Bazar police station in the Tatapur area of Bhagalpur. The murder was allegedly carried out by a gang of notorious criminals over a land dispute. The petitioner is the informant in the FIR related to the case.
The counsel further submitted that, based on police reports, the petitioner had been provided a bodyguard free of cost ever since the incident to ensure his safety. Two sessions trials are underway in connection with the same police case. While the informant’s testimony has been recorded in one trial, his evidence is still pending in the other.
The petitioner has expressed apprehension of being killed, a concern that has also been reflected in police reports. The District and Sessions Judge, Bhagalpur, who is also the chairperson of the Witness Protection Authority, has not ruled out the threat to the petitioner’s life. Despite this, the Bihar government has withdrawn the petitioner’s bodyguard, citing a shortage of security personnel.
Advocate Sinha told the court that Shishupal Bharti is a member of the JD(U) Bihar Pradesh Advisory Committee and is required to travel across various parts of the state for social activities. He argued that the absence of a bodyguard could lead to an untoward incident at any time. He also pointed out that the bail bonds of four accused involved in dozens of criminal cases have been cancelled by a lower court, further intensifying the threat to the petitioner’s life.
In view of these circumstances, the counsel urged the High Court to direct the state government to restore and extend the bodyguard facility to the petitioner.
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