Wife of slain IAS officer moves SC against Anand Mohan’s release

New Delhi: The wife of IAS officer G. Krishnaiah, who was lynched in 1994 by a mob led by former Bihar MP Anand Mohan Singh, has moved the Supreme Court against the latter’s premature release from prison.

The plea filed by Uma Krishnaiah, the wife of G. Krishnaiah, contended that life imprisonment awarded as a substitute for death penalty has to be carried out strictly as directed by the court, and it would be beyond application of remission.

The plea submitted that life imprisonment handed down to the gangster-turned-politician meant incarceration for his entire natural course of life.

Anand Mohan was released from the Saharsa jail on Thursday morning following an amendment in Bihar’s prison rules.

Under fire over the release of Anand Mohan, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had claimed during an event on Friday evening that the decision was based on the Centre’s ‘Model Prison Manual 2016’.

While referring to a book he carried with him, Nitish Kumar said: “This is a book on Model Prison Manual 2016. Please go through it and tell me whether any provision says that if an IAS officer gets killed, the convict will have to stay in jail for his entire life?”

“There is no such law in any state of the country. Hence, we have removed it in Bihar. He (Anand Mohan) was serving a jail term for more than 15 years. In depth discussions preceded the decision. Since 2017, 22 meetings of remission (‘parihar’) have taken place in Bihar and 696 prisoners have been released. A number of inmates were released on my recommendation on Republic Day, Independence Day and birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi,” he added.

He also asked if there is any difference in law required for common people and a government official.

“Though 27 inmates have been released, why is it that only one person’s release is being opposed,” he asked.

In 1994, Krishnaiah, then District Magistrate of Gopalganj, who hailed from Telangana, was beaten to death by a mob when his vehicle tried to overtake the funeral procession of gangster Chhotan Shukla. The mob was reportedly intigated by Anand Mohan.