Patna: Amid legal troubles gripping the family of incarcerated Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) president Lalu Prasad, there is finally some good news.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is investigating the murder of journalist Rajdeo Ranjan, has finally given “clean chit” to former health minister Tej Pratap Yadav.
Yadav is the elder son of Lalu, who was sentenced to prison in the multimillion dollar fodder scam.
On Friday, the CBI filed a formal affidavit in the Supreme Court saying Prasad’s son had no role to play in the murder of the journalist who was killed in cold blood in May 2016, reports said.
The Supreme Court is currently monitoring the probe of this high-profile murder case.
According to media reports, the CBI reportedly told the court that the photograph in which the former health minister is seen in the company of a murder accused Mohammad Kaif is an old one, and except for this one there is no evidence to prove he was involved in the murder case.
The court was also told that this photograph had no connection with the murder.
Kaif whom the police accused of being the main “shooter” in the case is currently out on bail.
He surrendered in the court in October 2016 after which he was sent to jail but came out on bail after three months as the police failed to file charge-sheet against him within the stipulated time frame.
The Supreme Court while responding to a petition filed by Asha Ranjan, wife of a slain journalist Rajdeo Ranjan, had last year ordered for registration of a case against Tej Pratap for allegedly hatching murder conspiracy with the criminal.
Tej Pratap came under trouble after he was spotted in a photograph with a criminal, Kaif, who is wanted in connection with the journalist’s murder.
In the photograph, which went viral, the alleged shooter is seen offering a bouquet to the health minister.
The minister, however, rejected attempts to link him to the alleged killer saying “More than a thousand people come to meet me every day. Is it possible to recognise everyone?”
According to the police, Kaif played a prime conspirator in the sensational murder of
journalist Ranjan.
He later surrendered in court after the police mounted pressures for his arrest.
The ruling Janata Dal United (JD-U) asked the RJD to apologise to the CBI which acquitted Lalu Prasad’s son in the murder of the Siwan journalist.
“The RJD people have been questioning the functioning of the CBI but now that the Tej Pratap has been acquitted in the case, they should apologise for their conduct,” JD-U spokesperson Niraj Kumar said on Sunday.
