New Delhi:
A Delhi court today fixed December 8 for pronouncement of verdict in a case relating to the murder of former Railway Minister L N Mishra at a function in Bihar nearly 40 years ago.
District Judge Vinod Goel, who had reserved the verdict for today, deferred it saying the judgement was not ready.
“Judgement not ready yet. Put up for December 8,” the judge said.
After hearing the final arguments of the counsel for CBI and the four accused on September 12, the court had reserved its judgement for today. The final arguments had begun in September, 2012.
The case relates to the bomb blast at a function attended by Mishra at Samastipur Railway Station on January 2, 1975. He succumbed to injuries the next day.
Over 200 witnesses, including 161 prosecution witnesses and more than 40 defence witnesses, were examined in the case.
Advocate Ranjan Dwivedi, who was 24-year-old at that time, was named as an accused along with four Ananda Marga group members, one of whom has died.
Apart from Dwivedi, three other accused in the case are Santoshananda Avadhuta, Sudevananda Avadhuta and Gopalji.
The accused had earlier approached the Supreme Court for quashing of the trial against them in the murder case.
The apex court had on August 17, 2012 dismissed their pleas on the ground that the proceedings could not be quashed merely because they had not been concluded in the last 37 years.
The charge sheet in the case was filed on November 1,1977 in a CBI court in Patna. The case was shifted to Delhi in 1979 on a plea by the then Attorney General to the apex court.
Except Gopalji, all those listed in the charge sheet in Mishra murder case were also named as accused in an attempt to murder case related to the bid on the life of then Chief Justice of India A N Ray in Delhi on March 20, 1975.
