Special Judicial officer appointed for trying top Maoist

A Special Judicial Officer was on Sunday appointed on the direction of Governor for speedy trial in cases against top jailed Maoist Ajay Kanu for whose release the ultras had enacted jail break in Jehanabad eight years ago.

Mohammad Salim was appointed as Special Judicial Officer for trial of all cases against Kanu in the Beur jail in Patna where he is lodged at present, district court sources said. The Governor's order for appointment of the special judicial came in the wake of a direction of the Patna High Court, the sources said.

So far, the top Maoist is being tried in six cases in Patna, Jehanabad and Gaya. For releasing Kanu from jail, the Maoists had triggered jailbreak in Jehanabad in 2005 in which more than 300 prisoners had escaped by scaling the wall of the prison. More than 200 of them had returned to jail while many others were rearrested by the police.