The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a plea by Vijay Kumar Shukla, also known as Munna Shukla, a convicted criminal-turned-politician, who requested additional time to surrender for his involvement in the 1998 murder of former Bihar Minister and RJD leader Brij Bihari Prasad.
Justice Sanjiv Khanna, Sanjay Kumar, and R. Mahadevan constituted the bench that heard the plea. Shukla’s counsel, senior advocate Vikas Singh, argued for a 30-day extension, citing his wife’s health issues and the need to settle affairs. However, the court noted that its previous order from October 3, which already granted Shukla a 15-day period to surrender, provided ample time and thus no further leniency could be afforded.
On October 3, the apex court had overturned a portion of the Patna High Court’s verdict that had acquitted all accused, including Shukla, a former MLA, and Mantu Tiwari, in the murder case. Tiwari, a relative of the political rival of Prasad’s widow, Rama Devi, was also directed to surrender within the same two-week timeframe.
