Patna, Aug 20 (IANS) Charges have been framed against Kuchaykot Janata Dal (United) MLA Amarendra Kumar Pandey, alias Pappu Pandey, and two other accused in a nearly seven‑year‑old case involving an alleged attempt to kill a man by firing at him.
The other accused are Satish Pandey, the MLA’s elder brother, and Mukesh Pandey, his nephew and former Zila Parishad chairperson.
The charge‑framing proceedings were completed before the Special MP/MLA Court, paving the way for the case to enter the evidence stage.
The case originated from an FIR filed in 2019 by Phoolmati Kunwar, wife of late Vashishtha Tiwari of Nayagaon Tulsiya Singh Tola under Mirganj police station. She alleged that her son, Abhimanyu Tiwari, was fired upon with the intention of killing him.
Police subsequently investigated the allegations, examined witnesses and evidence, and eventually filed a charge sheet against the three accused in Gopalganj. The matter was then placed before the special court dealing with cases involving MPs and MLAs.
With charges now framed, the prosecution will present its witnesses and documentary and other evidence. The defence will have the opportunity to cross‑examine prosecution witnesses and subsequently present its own case.
Importantly, framing of charges is not a finding of guilt. It means the court has determined that the case should proceed to trial on the allegations specified in the charges. The accused’s guilt or innocence will be decided only after a full trial and evaluation of the evidence.
The case has attracted renewed attention because of Pappu Pandey’s political prominence and his involvement in other high‑profile criminal matters. However, the 2019 firing case is legally separate from the 2020 Rupanchak triple‑murder case, where his name also came up in the police investigation and allegations by the deceased’s family members. Still, the two cases should not be conflated.
If the respective court convicts him in this case, he would lose his legislative membership.
–IANS
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