No mercy for Shahabuddin as Patna HC upholds life sentence

The Patna High Court on 30 August upheld the life imprisonment awarded to former Member of Parliament Mohammad Shahabuddin by a Bihar district court, for giving an acid bath to two brothers and murdering them 13 years ago, a lawyer said.

The High Court also rejected Shahabuddin's plea challenging the sentence awarded by the Siwan District Court on 11 December 2015. Shahabuddin and three others were sentenced to life imprisonment by Additional District Judge of Siwan Special Court Ajay Kumar Srivastava in 2015.

Justice Srivastava had called it the "rarest of rare case." The criminal-turned-politician, who was a Rashtriya Janata Dal leader, was convicted on charges of criminal conspiracy, kidnapping, and murder.

According to the police chargesheet, the victims were kidnapped at Shahabuddin's behest and drenched in acid before being murdered. Shahabuddin is currently lodged in Tihar Jail in Delhi.