This Article is From Feb 23, 2021

Judge, Hearing Murder Case, Fears "Anything Untoward" Can Happen To Him

RP Sonkar, an additional sessions judge in district Damoh, has alleged in a statement that the police and the accused in the murder case may be conspiring to bring up false allegations against him.

The judge has voiced fear of a plan to frame him.

Bhopal:

A judge in Madhya Pradesh hearing a murder trial in which the accused include relatives and the husband of a BSP MLA, Rambai Thakur, has voiced fear of a plan to frame him and has alleged that "anything untoward" can happen to him.

RP Sonkar, an additional sessions judge in district Damoh, has alleged in a statement that the police and the accused in the murder case may be conspiring to bring up false allegations against him.

The judge was recording the police statement on action taken on an arrest warrant against Govind Singh Thakur - the BSP lawmaker's husband -- when he made the statement about the police "conspiring with the accused" to malign him.

He also asked for a letter to be sent to the district sessions judge urging her to shift the murder trial to some other court.

Judge Sonkar noted that the police had not followed the required procedure when it claimed it had gone to execute the arrest warrant put out for Govind Singh Thakur.

Superintendent of Police Hemant Chauhan, asked about the allegations, refused to comment.

The case involves the murder of a Congress leader, Devendra Chaurasia, on March 15, 2019, in Damoh district. Govind Singh Thakur and his aides are accused in the case.

Govind Singh is also an accused in the 1998 murder of Congress leader Rajendra Pathak. Currently out on bail, granted by the Madhya Pradesh High Court, Govind Singh is known to be a strongman with much political clout.

The murdered Congress leader's son had alleged that the party had given him a free run despite proof of his crimes because the Kamal Nath government at the time needed the BSP to survive.

The Damoh district police had declared ₹ 25,000 reward on Mr Thakur's arrest, but withdrew it after the accused submitted multiple applications of not being involved in the murder case.

Rambai Thakur has repeatedly said in the state assembly that her husband and close relatives are being falsely implicated.

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