New Delhi: A local court here today deferred the verdict till December 8 in the 39-year-old murder case of railway minister Lalit Narayan Mishra.
On September 12, Judge Vinod Goel had fixed November 10 for pronouncing its verdict in the case after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and defence counsel of the four accused concluded their final arguments, which had begun September 2012.
Gopalji, Ranjan Dwivedi, Santoshanand Avadhuta and Sudevananda Avadhuta are facing trial in the case. All belong to the Hindu sect Anand Marg.ollowing the guidelines of the Supreme Court, the lower court here, giving priority to the 39-year old murder case, began hearing the final arguments on the daily basis from September 2012. Over 160 prosecution witnesses, five court witnesses and around 40 defence witnesses were examined in this case.
On January 2, 1975, Mishra suffered major injuries in a bomb blast during the inaugural of Muzaffarpur-Samastipur broad gauge railway line. On the very next day, he succumbed to injuries while getting treatment at railway hospital in Danapur.
On November 1, 1977, the CBI had filed chargesheet against six persons. In December 1979, the case was transferred to Delhi on special request of immediate Attorney General.
In August 2012, the Apex Court dismissed the accused's plea on the grounds that the proceedings could not be terminated merely because these had not been concluded in the past 37 years and directed the trial court not to entertain any plea for unwarranted adjournment.
Mishra's son Vijay Misha is a Janata Dal (United) MLC and his grandson son Rishi Mishra successfully contested the Legislative Assembly bypolls.
