The Supreme Court on Thursday disposed a plea alleging that Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tej Pratap Yadav was involved in the murder of journalist Rajdev Ranjan in 2016. The Central Bureau of Investigation told the court that it had not found any evidence against Yadav, PTI reported.
The court had asked the agency to investigate Yadav’s role after Ranjan’s wife filed the petition.
The journalist was shot dead in May 2016 from close range by bike-borne assailants near Siwan railway station in Bihar. The police had said that it appeared to be the job of a professional shooter, given Ranjan was shot straight through the temple. Ranjan had covered many criminal cases against former RJD leader Mohammad Shahabuddin.
In September 2016, the Supreme Court had issued notices to Yadav, who was then a minister in Bihar, and Shahabuddin. The court also decided to monitor the Central Bureau of Investigation’s inquiry into the journalist’s murder.
Shahabuddin is a prime accused in the case, but Tej Pratap Yadav’s name had cropped up after he was seen in a picture with the person who allegedly shot Ranjan.
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