Big blow to Bahubali RJD MLA Anant Singh, court sentences him to 10 years in jail in arms recovery case

File photo (Credits: PTI)

New Delhi: A special court in Patna on Tuesday (June 21) sentenced Bahubali RJD MLA Anant Singh to 10 years imprisonment in the AK-47 recovery case. In 2019, an AK-47 rifle, two hand grenades and 26 live cartridges were recovered from Anant Singh`s house in his native village and the MP-MLA court on June 14 held him guilty of the offence. Besides Anant Singh, the caretaker of his house Sunil Ram has also been awarded 10 years in jail. MP-MLA court judge Triloki Dubey has announced the highest quantum of punishment to the RJD MLA and his caretaker.

His conviction in the case is set to cost him his legislatorship in Bihar Assembly. Anant Singh is currently an MLA from the Mokama Assembly constituency in the Patna district.

Sunil Singh, the lawyer of Anant Singh (Defense Lawyer) confirmed the quantum of punishment of 10 years jail term.

"We will appeal to the higher court to challenge the decision of the MP-MLA court. If we manage to get a stay from the high court against this decision, Anant Singh`s legislatorship will remain," Singh said.

This morning, Anant Singh reached MP-MLA court located at Pirbahore area of Patna in a jail ambulance.

On August 16, 2019, a team of Patna police headed by then City SP Lipi Singh raided the house of Anant Singh in his native village Nadwa under Barh police station. As per the police theory, the raiding team had seized an AK-47 rifle, 26 live cartridges, and two hand grenades. While the AK-47 rifle was hidden in a hutment behind a big box, the hand grenades were recovered from the adjoining hut.

The police said that AK-47 was evenly wrapped with a plastic bag followed by layers of carbons to avoid detection in metal detectors during transportation.

At the time of the raid, Anant Singh was not in Bihar. He fled to Delhi and surrendered before the lower court there. Bihar police took his custody and put him behind the bars of Patna Beur jail. Since then, he has been lodged in Beur jail.

During the three years trial of the case, the prosecution side produced 13 witnesses and their statements were recorded in the court. The defense side also produced 34 witnesses before the court.

The hearing of the case was completed on June 13 and he was held guilty on June 14.