Former Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Mohammad Shahabuddin on Saturday passed away at a hospital in Delhi where he was undergoing treatment for COVID-19.
DG (Tihar) Sandeep Goel confirmed the news about Shahabuddin's death. Goel informed that Shahabuddin, who was serving a life sentence for murder at the Tihar Jail, was diagnosed with COVID-19 on April 20, after which he was admitted to the Deen Dayal Upadhyay (DDU) Hospital.
The Delhi High Court had on Wednesday directed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government and the prison authority to ensure proper medical supervision and care of Shahabuddin. Justice Prathiba M Singh had said the doctor on duty for looking after COVID-19 patients shall monitor Shahabuddin's health condition and treatment.
A court in Bihar had convicted Shahabuddin to 10 years of imprisonment for his involvement in an arms act case. Challenging the Bihar court's order, Shahabuddin then filed an appeal before the Supreme Court and sought appropriate orders.
Later, the Supreme Court had sought a detailed response from the state government after hearing the petition filed by the former MP, challenging his conviction.
Shahabuddin's senior lawyer submitted to the apex court that his client has been in jail for the last 14 years in a murder case.
The 53-year-old was serving a life sentence in a 2004 double murder case.
