CBI court convicts three accused in 2016 Siwan journalist murder case

Rajdeo Ranjan, Siwan bureau chief of Hindi daily Hindustan, was shot dead at a fruit market in Siwan town on May 13, 2016.

A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Muzaffarpur district of Bihar on Saturday convicted three accused in the 2016 murder of journalist Rajdeo Ranjan, and acquitted three others, including Azharuddin Baig, alias Laddan Mian, who is said to be a close associate of late RJD leader Mohammad Shahabuddin, due to lack of evidence, lawyers present at the hearing said.

Lawyers present at the hearing said that the quantum of punishment is likely to be pronounced on September 10.(Representative Image)

They added that the quantum of punishment is likely to be pronounced on September 10.

Ranjan, Siwan bureau chief of Hindi daily Hindustan, was shot dead at a fruit market in Siwan town on May 13, 2016. On the request of his wife, the Bihar government transferred the case to CBI on May 17 that year.

The special CBI court of additional district judge-3 Namita Singh convicted Vijay Kumar Gupta, Sonu Kumar Gupta and Rohit Kumar Soni and acquitted Laddan, Rishu Jaiswal and Rajesh Kumar, defence lawyer Sharad Sinha told reporters.

“Three people have been acquitted due to lack of evidence and three have been found guilty. This proves that the court has delivered fair justice,” added Sharad Sinha.

“The CBI has produced 69 witnesses, 111 exhibits during the trial while the accused were asked 183 questions. We will also appeal in the higher court so that the rest of the accused can also be punished,” CBI counsel Rajesh Dubey said.

A few days after the murder, five people were arrested on May 25, 2016. On June 2 that year, Laddan surrendered before the court.

CBI also filed a supplementary charge sheet against Shahabuddin in the case in 2017. He died of Covid in 2021.