Patna:
The government of Nitish Kumar will appeal in the Supreme Court against the acquittal of 26 people who are accused of the massacre of 58 Dalits in the state 16 years ago.
Yesterday, the Patna High Court said there was no evidence against the suspects, who had earlier been convicted by a lower court for the mass murder in the Laxmanpur Bathe village of Bihar's Jehanabad district.
The High Court said the accused must be released from jail immediately.
The Dalits were murdered allegedly by the outlawed upper caste militia Ranveer Sena on December 1, 1997.
16 of the 26 suspects should be hanged, the lower court had ruled in 2010; the others had been given a life sentence. They then appealed against the verdict in the Patna High Court.