Murder Of Ex-Bihar Minister: SC Dismisses Review Plea, Upholds Former MLA's Life Term

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has upheld the life term awarded to criminal-turned-politician Vijay Kumar Shukla alias Munna Shukla for the murder of former RJD minister Brij Bihari Prasad in Patna in 1998.

A bench comprising former Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and justices Sanjay Kumar and R Mahadevan dismissed the pleas of Shukla and a co-convict seeking a review of the October 2024, verdict of the apex court.

“Prayer for grant of oral hearing in the review petitions is rejected. Having gone through the review petitions and also the documents enclosed, we do not find any good ground and reason to review the judgment dated October 3, 2024. Accordingly, the review petitions are dismissed. Pending application(s), if any, shall stand disposed of”, said the apex court, in a May 6 order, which was uploaded recently on court’s website. Shukla had filed the review petition through advocate Namit Saxena.

The apex court on October 3 last year, had convicted Shukla and one Mantu Tiwari in the case. The court had partially set aside the Patna High Court verdict acquitting all the accused when it asked convicts Shukla, a former MLA, and Tiwari to surrender within 15 days to undergo life imprisonment. The apex court gave benefit of doubt to five other accused, including former MP Surajbhan Singh, and upheld their acquittal.

The murder of Prasad, an influential OBC leader and husband of former BJP MP Rama Devi, by Gorakhpur-based gangster Sri Prakash Shukla, was followed by the encounter of the assailant by a Uttar Pradesh special task force and others.

"The charge under section 302 (murder) read with section 34 of the IPC against Mantu Tiwari and Vijay Kumar Shukla @ Munna Shukla for the murders of Brij Bihari Prasad and Lakshmeshwar Sahu (bodyguard of Prasad) is proven and established beyond reasonable doubt," the top court had said.