Former MLA of Bihar Vijay Kumar Shukla, infamously known as Munna Shukla, on Wednesday, surrendered in a Patna court so he can surrender for his life term in the 1998 murder case of former minister Brij Bihari Prasad. Recently, the Supreme Court upheld his conviction and dismissed his application for an extension of time to surrender. He is likely to be lodged in Patna’s Beur Central Jail.
Bihar MLA: Conviction of Munna Shukla by Supreme Court
On 3 October 2024, the Supreme Court sentenced Munna Shukla and two other accused to life imprisonment for their role in the much-publicized murder of Brij Bihari Prasad case. The bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna, Sanjay Kumar, and R Mahadevan partly set aside the acquittal verdict of the Patna High Court that had acquitted all the accused. Shukla was asked to surrender within 15 days alongside another convicted, Mantu Tiwari.
Through his counsel, Shukla moved the apex court, seeking an extension of 30 days. For surrender citing health problems for his wife and other personal matters. The Supreme Court dismissed the plea saying that the 15-day period provided for in its earlier order was well sufficient. And no further extension would be granted.
Bihar MLA: Shukla’s Surrender and Statements
Before presenting himself to the Patna Civil Court, accused in molestation case Munna Shukla addressed the press and showed respect to the judiciary. “I have the highest regard and full faith in the judiciary. There are several options available to me, and those options are being explored,” he said.
The video is said to show him speaking at a meeting in his village of Naya Tola, in Muzaffarpur district. It was in it that he was heard saying, “Munna Shukla can stay behind bars, but the state government will change too.” He said meetings would continue to take place at his house even when he was behind bars.
Background of 1998 Brij Bihari Prasad Murder Case
Brij Bihari Prasad was a prominent OBC leader and a minister in the Rabri Devi-headed government of Bihar. When he was assassinated in 1998 while he was undergoing treatment in a super-specialty hospital in Patna. At the time of the murder, Prasad was in judicial custody for charges against him regarding being one of the culprits behind an alleged scam of admission to an engineering college. He was shot dead in the hospital where he was taking treatment under custody.
In 2009, the trial court had given life term to Shukla and several others. In 2014, Patna High Court acquitted all eight accused persons observing “no evidence so held that there is no evidence giving a benefit of doubt”. The widow of Rama Devi and Brij Bihari Prasad challenged this acquittal of all eight accused in the Supreme Court.
The decision of the Supreme Court
On October 3, 2024, The Supreme Court of India quashed the acquittal of Munna Shukla. And Mantu Tiwari and gave them a life term. However, it set aside the acquittal of six other accused, including former MP Surajbhan Singh, due to lack of evidence.
Shukla’s surrender brings an end to a long, intense legal battle which has dramatically absorbed the attention of many interested in and following Bihar’s political circles in recent times. This decision has reinforced the commitment of the Supreme Court to deliver justice even after decades in high-profile cases.
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