NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has asked former MP Anand Mohan, who was granted remission by the Bihar government in a case of murder of an IAS officer to surrender his passport and record his presence at the local police station every fortnight.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and K V Viswanathan gave final opportunity to the Centre to file its affidavit on the remission granted to Mohan, who was serving life term in the 1994 murder case of then Gopalganj District Magistrate G Krishnaiah.
Senior advocate Sidharth Luthra, for Uma Krishnaiah, wife of the deceased officer, contended that the matter has been dragging as the Centre has not filed its reply to the petition challenging the remission.
Citing the affidavit of Bihar government, he said that it is a bizarre case as the convict was awarded life sentence but was released prematurely, and he is out of jail playing a political role.
He said that the Centre was issued notice in May last year and the government is still seeking time to file an affidavit.
Upon this, the bench ordered, Respondent (Anand Mohan) should deposit his passport immediately in the local police station and record his presence at the police station every fortnight.
The court fixed the matter for final hearing on February 27.
The bench said it would give one hour each to both the sides to complete their argument in the matter.
Mohans counsel pleaded the court to reconsider the direction for deposit of passport and marking of presence at the local police station.
Let him comply with the order. We will hear the matter on February 27, the bench said, clarifying it has passed the order in view of Mohans involvement in other cases.
In August last year, the apex court had questioned the Bihar government as to how many of the convicts, granted remission in April last year along with Mohan, were held guilty of murdering public servants on duty.
In May 2023, the top court directed the Bihar government to produce complete original records with regard to the remission granted to Mohan, a gangster-turned-politician.
The Bihar government had told the Supreme Court that a convict undergoing life imprisonment in a murder case cannot be denied remission and the punishment for murder of general public or a public servant is same.
The Nitish Kumar government defended its decision to release former Mohan, in response to a plea by widow of the IAS officer Krishnaiah lynched in 1994 by a mob led by Singh, premature release of the convict.
