PATNA: The special MP-MLA court in Patna framed charges against sitting Mokama MLA Anant Singh on Thursday in connection with the recovery of an AK-47 assault rifle and explosives from his private residence at Barh in Patna last year.
The don-turned-politician, who has filed his nomination papers as an RJD candidate this time, is lodged in Beur central jail along with co-accused and caretaker of his ancestral house Sunil Ram.
The state government has appointed Shyameshwar Dayal as the special public prosecutor in the case who would be assisted by additional public prosecutor Ajay Mishra of Patna high court.
Dayal had also conducted the trials in the murder cases against former MPs Mohammad Shahbuddin, and Anand Mohan Singh and MLA Rajballah Yadav in minor’s rape case and all these cases had resulted in their conviction.
APP Mishra said charges against the duo were framed under the relevant sections of Arms Act and Explosives Substances Act and Section 414 and 120B of IPC.
“Charges under Section 13 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act were not framed as the charge sheet was not filed under the specific law,” he said, adding, the daily trial would be conducted in the case as per the direction of the high court.
“After framing of charges, the court fixed October 21 as next date of hearing when the informant’s deposition would be recorded,” Mishra said.
Barh police station SHO Sanjeet Kumar was an informant in the case and police had also invoked the stringent UAPA against Singh and Ram in its FIR.
An AK-47 assault rifle and 26 live cartridges along with two military-grade hand grenades were recovered by Patna police hidden inside Singh’s private residence at village Nadwan on August 16.
Singh’s caretaker Sunil Ram was arrested from the spot as he had the keys of the house.
Police had also conducted a raid on Singh’s official bungalow in Patna but he was not found there. Singh surrendered before a metropolitan court at Saket in New Delhi on August 23 last year.