Satish Aditya
Motihari : Bihar Government will challenge the Patna High Court (HC) verdict on May 21, 2021, on Senari massacre acquitting 14 persons convicted in the 22 year old case in the Supreme Court. This was announced by Bihar Law Minster Pramod Kumar here on May 22, 2022, saying Patna High Court verdict on Senari massacre will be challenged in the Supreme court.
Law Minister Kumar said he has discussed the matter with State Advocate General Lalit Kishore and he has given his opinion to the state government on the matter. After getting the go ahead from CM Nitish Kumar, the appeal proceedings will begin in a day or two, he added.
A Division bench of Patna high Court comprising Justice Ashwani Kumar Singh and Justice Arvind Shrivastava, after setting aside the lower court verdict, had on May 21, 2021, acquitted 14 people convicted in Senari massacre of 1999. The massacre took place in Senari village under Karpi police station in the then Jahanabad Ddistrict ( now Arwal District) on March 18, 1999, in which 34 upper caste men were allegedly dragged out from their homes in night by naxalites allegedly the MCC members, lined up and killed with sharpedged weapons.
A Jahanabad Court had in two separate judgements in November 2016 had convicted 16 accused and sentenced 11 convicts to death penalty and the remaining three to life imprisonment.