In yet another setback to controversial Rashtriya Janata Dal parliamentarian from Siwan Mohammed Shahabuddin, a local court on Saturday convicted him of kidnapping a Communist Party of India-Marxist Leninist worker eight years ago but acquitted him in two other cases.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Gyaneshwar Prasad Srivastava pronounced Shahabuddin guilty under Section 364 (kidnapping or abducting in order to murder) of Indian Penal Code in the case relating to kidnap of CPI-ML worker Chhote Lal Gupta on February seven, 1999.
The quantum of sentence will be announced on May eight.
The offence is punishable with imprisonment for life or rigorous imprisonment for a term which may extend to ten years and a fine.
Shahabuddin was the only person named accused in the FIR as others involved in the kidnapping were unknown. The prosecution could not establish that the kidnapped man was murdered as his body was never recovered.
The judge, who held trial inside the Siwan Jail for security reasons, however, acquitted the MP in two other cases.
While in one case, Shahabuddin was alleged to have exploded bombs at the local Dav College on September 10, 1988, in another he was charged with assaulting a spinning mill employee Birbal on March 21, the same year.
On March two this year Shahabuddin was sentenced to two years' imprisonment in a case of attack on CPI-ML office at Kurmabad in Siwan town on September 19, 1998 in which the party's office Secretary Keshav Baitha was injured.
Shahabuddin has over 30 cases, including those of murder, attempt to murder, possession of illegal arms of foreign make, unaccounted foreign currency and violation of Wildlife Act pending against him.
More from rediff