3 sentenced to life in Satyendra Dubey murder case

All the three accused – currently lodged in Beur jail,were taken to court in police van. Mother of one of the accused Mantu was seen crying on sitting on court stairs after the verdict.

Dubey’s family,however,stayed away from the court saying they had “little interest in the case as no big fishes getting caught by CBI”. Satyendra Dubey’s brother Dhananjay Dubey said: “Only small fries have got sentence”.

The court on 20 March had convicted Mantu Kumar,Udai Kumar and Pinku Ravidas for Dubey’s murder. The court convicted Mantu Kumar under Indian Penal Code sections 302 (murder),394 (Voluntary causing hurt in committing robbery) and 27 (A) Arms Act for possessing unlicensed weapon. Udai and Pinku were convicted under IPC sections 302/34 (murder committed in furtherance of common intention) and 394. The verdict came six years and four months after whistleblower NHAI Satyendra Dubey was killed for exposing corruption in Golden Quadrilateral Project in Bihar.

Dubey,an IIT-Kanpur alumni,who had blown the lid off large-scale corruption in GQ Project,was shot dead on 27 November 2003 in front of Circuit House in Gaya on his way to home from railway station. The whistleblower Dubey had written to then Prime Minister A B Vajpayee detailing financial and contractual irregularities in NDA government’s flagship project.

The CBI had taken over the investigation of the case from Bihar police on 14 December 2003 after nationwide protests over the murder of NHAI engineer,coming from a Brahmin family in Siwan.

The investigation agency filed charge-sheet in the case on 3 September 2004. CBI had arrested four persons — Mantu,Udai,Pinku and Sharvan Kumar,all residents of Katari village in Gaya. Shravan later turned approver in the case after he gave detailed disclosure about the incident.

All the four accused had gathered near Gaya Circuit House on intervening night of 26 and 27 November 2003. As Dubey was crossing the road around 3.30 a.m. on November 27 in a cycle-rickshaw,the four accused persons robbed Dubey and later they engaged in a scuffle with NHAI project director. Mantu shot him dead with a .315 country-made weapon,said a CBI statement.

The investigating agency later recovered a suitcase having documents including Dubey’s Identity Card from an abandoned well. The pistol used in Dubey’s murder was also recovered later.

The high-profile murder and subsequent investigations,widely covered by The Indian Express,caused concerns from all around about a whistler daring to expose corruption,CBI could not lay hands on any high-profile arrest in the case. Dubey letter to then PM,though not signed by the engineer,enclosed his bio-data to lend credence to seriousness of his corruption complaints.

SK Dubey Foundation for Fight Against Corruption was founded by Dubey’s IIT Kanpur batch-mates in their bid to raise voice against corruption.

IIT Kanpur has also instituted an annual award in his name,Satyendra K Dubey Memorial Award,to be given to an IIT alumnus for displaying highest professional integrity. Dubey was posthumously given “Whistleblower of the year award” by the London-based Index on Censorship,the Transparency International’s Annual integrity award and the Service Excellence award from the All India Management Association.

BOX

DUBEY CASE DIARY

27 November 2003: Satyendra Dubey killed

14 December 2003: CBI takes over case

3 September 2004: CBI files charge-sheet naming four accused

20 March 2010: Three convicted for murder

27 March 2010: Three sentenced to life