The Indian Civil and Administrative Service (Central) Association on Tuesday came down heavily on the Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government for its decision to release the killers of the late G Krishnaiah, including former Lok Sabha member Anand Mohan Singh.
Krishnaiah, then the District Magistrate of Biharโs Gopalganj, was lynched to death in 1994 when he was on his way to Gopalganj.
A local court handed Singh a death sentence in October 2007 for instigating the crowd. However, in December 2008, the Patna high court commuted the sentence to life imprisonment.
Expressing โdeep dismay at the decision of the state government of Biharโ, the Central IAS Association stated, โA convict of a charge of murder of a public servant on duty cannot be re-classified to a less heinous category. The amendment of an existing classification that leads to the release of the convicted killer of a public servant on duty is tantamount to a denial of justice.โ
Terming the decision โa mockery of administration of justiceโ, the association stated, โSuch dilution leads to impunity, erosion in the morale of public servants, undermines public order and makes a mockery of administration of justice.โ
โWe strongly request the state government of Bihar to reconsider its decision at the earliest,โ the association said.
Singhโs release became apparent after the Bihar home departmentโs notification on April 10 to drop Rule 481(1)(a) of the Bihar Prison Manual 2012, which forbade the earlier release of one convicted of the murder of a public servant on duty.
The decision has set the tongue wagging in political circles as many see it as an attempt to woo the Rajput community, to which Singh belongs, as CM Kumar sets his sights on Delhi darbar.
Singhโs son, Chetan, is a Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MLA from Sheohar. The RJD is the coalition partner of Nitish Kumarโs Janata Dal-United in Bihar.
Kumarโs support for the Singh family is also an open secret in Bihar politics. On Monday, Kumar and Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav attended the engagement ceremony of Anand Junior.
The Bihar governmentโs decision also came amid calls from several Rajput politicians for the early release of Singh. Kumar has hinted that he โstands by his former colleagueโ on multiple occasions in the past.
