RNS: The Special MP/MLA court in Ranchi has pronounced life imprisonment for extremist Jaitha Kachhap and former JMM MLA Paulus Surin in a double murder case.
The court’s ruling came today, with former MLA and notorious PLFI militant Jetha Kachhap receiving life imprisonment for the murder of SPO Bhushan Singh and Ram Govind.
Paulus Surin, who served as MLA from Jharkhand Mukti Morcha twice, was convicted alongside PLFI militant Jetha Kachhap in a case related to a double murder 11 years ago. Both were sentenced to life imprisonment by Judge Dinesh Kumar’s court on Wednesday.
Additionally, Paulus Surin was fined Rs 25,000, while Jetha Kachhap was fined Rs 45,000. Failure to pay the fines would result in an additional one-year imprisonment for both.
Earlier, on April 6, 2024, the court had convicted both individuals in the murder case, leading to the former MLA’s immediate arrest and imprisonment.
The case, filed on May 25, 2013, at the Karra police station in Khunti district, Jharkhand, involved Surin, who had previous ties to the Naxals before entering politics.
On April 7, Surin and Kachhap were found guilty and convicted by Additional Judicial Commissioner Dinesh Kumar’s court under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code and Section 27 of the Arms Act.
The sentencing, which occurred on April 10, followed arguments scheduled for the same day, coinciding with the public announcement of the court’s judgment.
Records indicate that social worker Bhushan Kumar Singh and Ram Govind were playing cards near Singh’s residence when Naxals attacked, resulting in their deaths.
According to the police chart sheet, Paulus Surin accused Singh of being a “police informer” and warned him against such activities.
The matter had been pending in a Khunti court for about three years before being transferred to the special MP/MLA court.
Surin, who represented the Torpa ST Reserve Assembly constituency in Jharkhand, faced testimony from 12 witnesses during the prosecution’s case. Of the six accused, four, including three women, were acquitted due to insufficient evidence.
