- Elderly man sentenced to three years in Bihar in a 34-year-old case
- Supreme Court prepared to take suo moto cognisance of the Bihar case after viral reports
- Turned out, local court had granted interim bail to the elderly man to appeal in the high court
The doors to the Supreme Court had nearly opened for an elderly man, but a twist happened. On Tuesday, a video went viral on social media. It showed an elderly man carrying a walking stick and slippers coming out of a court premises.
Media reports had said that after 34 years, a court in Bihar had sentenced an 85-year-old man to three years in jail in a case, even though he could barely walk on his own.
Shortly afterward, some 1,000 km away in Delhi, activity began at around 2.40 pm in the Supreme Court. Security personnel were told by the registry to unlock Court No. 1, the courtroom of the Chief Justice of India, as a hearing might be held, sources said. It was opened immediately, and preparations were started for listing the case. However, by 4 pm, the courtroom was locked again.
How were the matters in Bihar and the Supreme Court related?
According to sources, the reports about the elderly man in Bihar had also reached Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, sources said. At that time he was holding a collegium meeting with two senior-most judges for appointments of high court judges.
During the meeting, the Chief Justice reportedly told the Registry that he wished to take suo moto cognisance of the Bihar matter and hear it. He also told the Registry to inform the Registrar General of the Patna High Court for a report on the case.
As a result, the Chief Justice's courtroom was opened and the Registry was working to list the case.
When the report came from the high court, it was found that the trial court had granted interim bail to the elderly man so that he could file an appeal in the high court, sources said. The Chief Justice of India was informed about it, after which the courtroom was locked, sources said.
Earlier that day, the Chief Justice had administered oaths to five new judges and later attended the collegium meeting on high court appointments.
The case that went viral on social media came from Bihar's Vaishali district, where a court recently in a verdict in a 34-year-old attempt-to-murder case convicted the elderly man.
In 1992, following a dispute, a case was filed against nine members of a family for allegedly opening fire on a married couple. During the lengthy trial, four of the nine accused died, while five remain alive.
One of the surviving accused is Deep Rai, also known as Jisa Rai. The 85-year-old Deep Rai was sentenced to three years in prison, while the other four accused were sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment each and fined Rs 25,000.
