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JMM chief charged with secretary's murder

A New Delhi sessions court today framed charges against Jharkhand Mukti Morcha politician Shibhu Soren and six others for abducting and subsequently murdering Soren's private secretary, Shashi Nath Jha, in May 1994.

The date for the trial has been set at March 22.

''In my opinion, there is prima facie evidence which raises suspicion of a conspiracy among the accused to abduct Shashi Nath Jha from Delhi and murder him at Ranchi and dispose of his body to conceal evidence,'' Special Judge Ajit Bharihoke said.

Besides Soren, the others charged are Sunil Khaware, Ashish Thakur, Nand Kishore Mehta, Shailendra Bhattacharya, Ajay Kumar Mehta and Pashupati Nath Mehta.

The charges were framed under sections 120(b) (criminal conspiracy), 364 (abduction) and 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code.

Section 201 (concealment of evidence) has also been evoked against Ajay Kumar Mehta.

The charge-sheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation alleged that Jha was abducted from Dhaula Kuan in New Delhi on May 22, 1994, and taken to Piska Nagri at Ranchi, where he was murdered and his body disposed of.

UNI

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