Former Bihar Minister Manju Verma, Husband Get 7 Years in Arms Act Case

A special MP/MLA court in Bihar's Begusarai district on Saturday sentenced former Bihar minister Manju Verma and her husband Chandrashekhar Verma to seven years of rigorous imprisonment in an eight-year-old case under the Arms Act, marking a significant legal development stemming from the investigation into the Muzaffarpur shelter home scandal.

The verdict was delivered by Special Judge Brajesh Kumar Singh, who ordered the couple to be taken into custody immediately after pronouncing the sentence. The case pertains to the recovery of a large cache of arms and ammunition from the couple's residence during a CBI search conducted as part of the wider probe into the Muzaffarpur shelter home case.

According to Additional Public Prosecutor Ram Prakash Yadav, the prosecution examined seven witnesses during the trial, including the then CBI Deputy Superintendent of Police (Dhanbad). The evidence presented before the court ultimately led to the conviction under the provisions of the Arms Act.

Manju Verma, once considered a close associate of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, had resigned as the state's Social Welfare Minister after allegations surfaced linking her husband to Brajesh Thakur, the prime accused in the Muzaffarpur shelter home scandal. The CBI raid on the couple's Begusarai residence during that investigation resulted in the seizure of firearms and ammunition, leading to the registration of the Arms Act case.

The conviction underscores the legal consequences of possessing illegal arms under the Arms Act, 1959, which prescribes stringent penalties for unauthorized possession, storage, or trafficking of weapons. The judgment also highlights the role of independent investigations and judicial scrutiny in ensuring accountability of public representatives, reinforcing the principle that elected officials remain subject to the rule of law.

The couple's son, Abhishek Anand, currently represents Cheria Bariarpur as a JD(U) MLA, a constituency previously held by his mother. The sentencing is expected to carry both legal and political significance, given the family's longstanding presence in Bihar politics.