Patna, April 16 The Patna High Court Wednesday admitted a petition of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Pappu Yadav, challenging the life imprisonment awarded to him for the murder of Left leader Ajit Sarkar in 1998.

Pix: Manish Sinha

In February this year, Special Judge for Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) B.M. Srivastava found guilty and pronounced the sentences on Yadav, a RJD Member of Parliament, and Rajan Tiwari, a former legislator and Lok Janashakti Party (LJP) leader, and their associate Anil Yadav.

Ajit Sarkar, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader who was a legislator from Purnea, was shot dead June 14, 1998, by men allegedly on Yadav's orders.

Yadav, alias Rajesh Ranjan, was arrested March 2004 for his involvement in the crime. His wife Ranjita Ranjan is also a parliament member but from the Lok Janashakti Party.

He was lodged in the Beur jail in Bihar, where he was found flouting jail manual orders. Following a Supreme Court order, he was shifted in February 2005 to the high security Tihar Jail in Delhi, where he is currently lodged. Tiwari continues to remain in the Beur jail.

During the trial, the investigation agency CBI produced 61 witnesses against 27 witnesses produced by the accused in their defence. The final hearing started January this year as directed by the Patna High Court and was completed early February.