Patna High Court acquits Anant Singh in Arms Act case

Patna, Aug 14 (IANS) The Patna High Court acquitted former RJD MLA and influential Bahubali leader Anant Kumar Singh in a high-profile Arms Act case on Wednesday.

Anant Singh was initially booked after the Patna Police recovered an AK-47 assault rifle, cartridges, a bulletproof jacket, and two hand grenades from his ancestral house in Barh on June 24, 2015. Additionally, an INSAS rifle and a magazine were allegedly recovered from his residence on Mall Road in Patna.

However, the court presided over by Justice Chandra Shekhar Jha, acquitted Singh due to a lack of evidence.

Senior advocate P.N. Shahi represented Anant Kumar Singh in the case, while Ajay Kumar Mishra argued on behalf of the government.

With the court's ruling, the path has been cleared for Singh's release from jail, although the exact timing of his release remains unclear. He is currently in the Beur jail in Patna.

Anant Kumar Singh has been a prominent figure in Bihar politics, serving as an MLA from the Mokama Assembly seat multiple times, representing various parties, including as an independent, JD(U), and RJD candidate. After his conviction by the MP-MLA court in the Arms Act case, his wife, Neelam Devi, won the by-election on an RJD ticket.

Interestingly, after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar left the Grand Alliance and formed a government with the NDA earlier this year, Neelam Devi also shifted her allegiance during the trust vote.

Anant Singh was granted parole for two weeks during the Lok Sabha elections, during which time he was accused by the opposition of supporting the JD(U) candidate Lalan Singh in the Munger constituency, despite not officially campaigning for him. Lalan Singh ultimately won the election. Before returning to jail, Anant Singh had expressed confidence that he would be released permanently within a month and a half.