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Former Bihar minister Manju Verma, an accused in Muzaffarpur shelter home rape case, after she surrendered in a court in Begusarai on Tuesday, Nov.20.[/caption]
Patna, Nov. 20 (IANS): Former Bihar Minister Manju Verma, who had been absconding for nearly three months in an arms case related to the Muzaffarpur shelter home horror, surrendered at a court on Tuesday. She has been sent to 14 days’ judicial custody.
Manju Verma surrendered in the Manjhaul sub-division court of Begusarai district after a lower court and the Patna High Court rejected her interim bail petition. The Supreme Court had slammed Bihar Police for its failure to arrest her.
According to the police, Manju Verma covered her face while reaching the court and fainted twice in the court room.
“After her surrender, the court has sent her to 14 days’ judicial custody till December 1. She has been lodged in Begusarai jail,” a district police official said.
Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), Police Headquarters, S.K. Singhal said the police are likely to take Manju Verma on police remand to interrogate her.
The Bihar Police on Saturday started attaching the properties of Manju Verma after a court order in an arms case connected to the Muzaffarpur shelter home rape case.
Of the 42 girls lodged at the short-stay home run by main accused Brajesh Thakur’s NGO, 34 were found to have been sexually assaulted. Thakur had links with the former Minister’s husband.
The crime came to light following a social audit by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.
Verma faces arrest under the Arms Act after 50 live cartridges were recovered from her residences in Patna and Begusarai during a Central Bureau of Investigation raid.
Last month, a court in Begusarai had issed an arrest warrant against her.
Her husband Chandrasekhar Verma, who had been absconding for a month, last month surrendered before a court after which he was sent to judicial custody.
Manju Verma resigned on August 8 following allegations of Thakur having links with her husband. Thakur is currently lodged in Muzaffarpur jail.
7 awarded death sentence for killing one nine years ago in Muzaffarnagar
A sessions court here Tuesday sentenced seven persons to death for killing a man nearly nine years ago at Harsoli in the district after a clash between two groups of people over an old dispute. District and Sessions Judge Rajesh Bhardwaj sentenced the seven after convicting them on charges of murder, attempt to murder and rioting, armed with deadly weapons.
According to the prosecution, in the fight that took place between two groups of people of the same community, one Naseem was killed and several others were injured in February 2010 after which the police had registered a case under various penal offences.
The seven accused, who were given death sentence, are Sadiq, Shahid, Arshad, Rashid, Sarfaraz, Farukh and Mumtaz. They all have been in jail since their arrests soon after the clash.
A death sentence given by a trial court has to be confirmed by the high court of the state.
