SC asks Bihar govt to produce original records on remission granted to ex-MP Anand Mohan in murder case

• SC has asked Bihar govt to produce original records on remission granted to ex-MP Anand Mohan in murder case
• Senior advocate Siddharth Luthra urged the court to order the state to produce the entire records of Mohan's criminal antecedents
• Anand was serving a life sentence in the 1994 murder case of then Gopalganj District Magistrate G Krishnaiah

The Supreme Court on Friday ordered the Bihar government to submit complete original records in view of the pardon granted to former MP Anand Mohan, who was serving a life sentence in the 1994 murder case of then Gopalganj District Magistrate G Krishnaiah, media reported.

Justices Surya Kant and JB Pardiwala told advocate Manish Kumar, appearing for the Bihar government, that no further adjournment would be granted in the case and directed him to place the complete records for the court's inspection.

It cited a lawsuit filed by the slain officer's wife challenging Mohan's discharge on August 8. Initially, Kumar sought some time to file a reply to the plea. Senior advocate Siddharth Luthra, who appeared for Uma Krishnaiah, wife of the slain officer, said the state government had retroactively changed its policy and dismissed him in the case.

He urged the court to order the state to produce the entire records of Mohan's criminal antecedents and demanded that the matter be listed in the month of August. The bench noted that counsel for the state government and Mohan appeared before it and said that no further adjournment would be granted.

"Original records relating to pardon of respondent-4 (Anand Mohan) vide order dated April 10, 2023 will be placed before the court," the court said, adding that records relating to previous offenses would also be placed before it.
Mohan's name was on a list of more than 20 inmates who had been released after serving more than 14 years behind bars, according to a notice issued by the state law department.

The remission of his sentence followed an amendment to the Bihar Jail Manual on April 10 by the Nitish Kumar government, which lifted restrictions on the early release of those involved in the killing of a public servant in the line of duty.

This, critics of the state government's decision say, was done to facilitate the release of Mohan, a Rajput strongman who could add strength to the Nitish Kumar-led grand alliance in its fight against the BJP. Several others, including politicians, benefited from the amendment to the state prison rules.

Krishnaiah, who hailed from Telangana, was beaten to death by a mob in 1994 when his vehicle tried to overtake gangster Chhotan Shukla's funeral procession in Muzaffarpur district. Mohan, then MLA, led the procession.