A court in Jamshedpur on Monday acquitted Rashtriya Janata Dal strongman and former Siwan MP Mohammad Shahabuddin in a triple murder case dating back to 1989, ANI reported. The court cited lack of evidence to explain its decision, Times Now added.

The 27-year-old case pertained to the murders of Anand Rao, Janardhan Choubey and Pradeep Mishra near a Tata Steel Powerhouse in the Jugasalai Police Station area of the industrial town, The Financial Express said. The RJD leader was among the eight accused in the case, the newspaper added.

Shahabuddin faces criminal charges in more than 45 cases and is currently lodged in Delhi’s Tihar Jail. He was moved to Tihar from Siwan District Jail in February this year following an order by a division bench of the Supreme Court that acted on appeals that said he wielded considerable influence and carried on his criminal activities in Siwan even from inside jail. One of the appeals was filed by Asha Ranjan, the wife of deceased journalist Ranjan Rajdeo. Asha had filed the plea stating that free and fair trial against Shahabuddin was not possible if he remain lodged in the Bihar jail as witnesses would not be able to depose against him with his goons threatening them.

The 42-year-old Rajdeo was shot dead in last year at Phal Mandi near the Siwan Railway Station, barely half-a-kilometre from the police station.