Gaya teen murder: Bail plea of JD(U) MLA Manorama Devi deferred

Patna: The Patna High Court has deferred to Monday the hearing of a bail plea of JD(U) legislator Manorama Devi, who is accused of harbouring her son after he allegedly killed a teenager in Gaya district of Bihar.

Manorma Devi, a member of the legislative council (MLC) of Bihar, had on Tuesday filed a bail plea in the high court after her bail petition was rejected twice by the Gaya district court in May.

She had evaded arrest for several days before surrendering on 17 May in the Gaya’s court which remanded her in 14-day judicial custody.

She is currently lodged in the Gaya Central Jail, along with her son Rocky Yadav who allegedly shot dead on 7 May Aditya Sachdeva, the son of a businessman, for overtaking his vehicle near police lines in Gaya district.

Also lodged in the same jail is her husband Bindi Yadav, a well known criminal-politician, who is also accused of helping his son Rocky evade arrest after the murder.

The family’s palatial residence at AP Colony is hardly half a kilometre from the Gaya Central Jail.

The first information report (FIR) also mentioned Teni Yadav, a cousin of Rocky, who surrendered on 16 May before a Gaya court and was remanded in judicial custody.

Another accused now lodged in Gaya Central Jail is Rajesh Kumar, the bodyguard of the MLC.

Both Teni Yadav and Rajesh Kumar were allegedly travelling with Rocky in his vehicle when the murder took place.

Manorama Devi also faces the charge of keeping liquor in her home in violation of the prohibition law of the state.

Her husband Bindi Yadav was once a terror in Gaya town and faces several serious criminal cases.

He is known to have links with Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) of Lalu Prasad during the 1990s and early 2000s, and later became associated with the Janata Dal United (JD(U)), now led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

Both RJD and JD(U) form the ruling Grand Alliance in Bihar along with Congress.

Following a public outcry over Aditya Sachdeva’s murder, the JD(U) suspended Manorama Devi’s membership of the party.

The couple’s arms licences have been cancelled.