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August 30, 2025 – India –
Nearly nine years after the brutal 2016 assassination of veteran journalist Rajdev Ranjan, a Special CBI Court in Muzaffarpur delivered a long-awaited verdict on August 30, 2025.
Ranjan—then the Siwan bureau chief for a prominent Hindi daily—was fatally shot on May 13, 2016, in broad daylight while returning from a hospital visit. His killing sparked widespread outrage and prompted demands for a thorough investigation.
The CBI took over the probe, navigating a politically charged atmosphere, notably due to suspicions surrounding influential RJD strongman and former Siwan MP Mohammad Shahabuddin, who was never formally charged and died in 2021.
The trial focused on six principal accused—Vijay Kumar Gupta, Sonu Kumar Gupta, Rohit Kumar Soni, Azharuddin alias Laddan Mian, Rajesh Kumar, and Rishu Kumar Jaiswal—with an additional juvenile accused tried separately.
Over nearly eight years, the CBI presented 69 witnesses, produced 111 exhibits, and subjected the accused to 183 rounds of questioning. On August 30, Judge Namita Singh found Vijay Kumar Gupta, Sonu Kumar Gupta, and Rohit Kumar Soni guilty, while Azharuddin (Laddan Mian), Rajesh Kumar, and Rishu Jaiswal were acquitted due to insufficient evidence.
Defense counsel Sharad Sinha emphasized that the acquittals were the result of inadequate evidence. Meanwhile, CBI representatives noted that sentencing for the convicted is expected soon, possibly by September 10, 2025.
For Ranjan’s grieving family and the journalism community, the verdict offers only partial closure. It symbolizes a bittersweet moment—where justice has been served to a degree, yet uncertainties remain in a politically sensitive case fraught with past threats to press freedom.
Reference –
CBI Court Gives Verdict in Rajdev Ranjan Murder Case After 9 Years
