Life convict Munna Shukla seeks treatment at IGIMS, HC turns to PMCH

Patna: Former Vaishali legislator Munna Shukla, who is serving a life sentence for the murder of former cabinet minister Brij Bihari Prasad and his aide, has moved the Patna high court seeking “safe judicial custody” at the same institute where the killings took place — the Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS) — for specialised treatment of his eyes.

Brij Bihari Prasad and his aide were shot dead at the IGIMS in 1998.

However, the IGIMS administration informed the court that it does not have a separate prisoners’ ward to provide specialised treatment to “sensitive” inmates like Shukla, who is currently lodged in a special cell at Bhagalpur central prison due to security concerns and threats to his life.

On May 19, a vacation bench of Justice Rajiv Roy, while hearing Shukla’s criminal writ petition, ordered that Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) be impleaded as a respondent in the case to explore the possibility of providing the required treatment in its prisoners’ ward.

Justice Roy also directed the state’s home secretary, Patna DM and the PMCH superintendent to file their responses outlining the measures that could be taken to facilitate Shukla’s specialised treatment under a strict security framework. The court’s May 19 order came into the public domain recently.

It also sought a medical examination report on Shukla’s eye condition from the IGIMS. The matter would be heard again on June 30.

Senior advocate Sanjeev Kumar Mishra, while appearing for the petitioner, submitted that Shukla was diagnosed with cataract on Dec 10 last year by ophthalmology specialists at Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and Hospital, Bhagalpur. He said a district medical board in Bhagalpur had recommended specialised treatment at the IGIMS. The institute was represented by senior counsel Sunil Kumar Singh.

Shukla and others were convicted by a special CBI court in Aug 2009 for the double murder. However, the Patna high court acquitted him in 2014. Subsequently, the Supreme Court, in its Oct 3, 2024 judgment on a criminal appeal filed by BJP leader Rama Devi, wife of Brij Bihari Prasad, overturned the acquittal and convicted Shukla and co-accused Mantu Singh. Following the verdict, Shukla was sent to prison to serve a life sentence.