Ex-MP Anand Mohan, among 26 others, to be freed from jail after Bihar govt tweaks prison rules

 The Bihar government notified the release of 27 prisoners, days after amending the Bihar Prison Manual. Among those who will be released is former MP Anand Mohan Singh who was convicted in the 1994 murder of bureaucrat G Krishnaiah.

Days after making changes to the Bihar Prison Manual that resulted in a significant outcry from the opposition, the Bihar government on Tuesday announced the release of 27 convicts. Anand Mohan Singh, a former member of parliament who was found guilty of killing official G Krishnaiah in 1994, is one of those who will be freed.

G Krishnaiah, then Gopalganj District Magistrate, was killed by a mob allegedly provoked by Anand Mohan Singh. The gangster-turned-politician received a death sentence in 2007 from a Bihar lower court. However, the Patna High Court reduced it to life in jail; in 2012, the Supreme Court confirmed that decision.

Mohan's release comes after the Nitish Kumar government had on April 10 tweaked the Prison Manual, 2012, making changes to rule 481 to facilitate Mohan’s release. 26 additional offenders who had served between 14 and 20 years in prison were required to be released, according to the Bihar government's official announcement.

Anand Mohan, who was till recently imprisoned in Saharsa jail, has been on parole to attend a wedding in his family. At the engagement ceremony of Anand Mohan's son, prominent politicians and ministers including Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, his deputy Tejashwi Yadav, and JDU leader Lalan Singh were present.

His elder son, Chetan Anand, exchanged engagement rings with his fiancee Ayushi. The engagement took place at a farmhouse in Patna.

Anand Mohan's release has already drawn criticism from a number of sources, with the BJP wondering whether this is the model of "jungle raj" Nitish Kumar intends to implement in Bihar.