The Jharkhand High Court on Friday instructed the Dhanbad jail administration to ensure that former Dhanbad MLA Sanjeev Singh is returned from Dumka Central Jail to Dhanbad Divisional Jail within two weeks.

The instruction was given by a high court bench of Justice S.K. Dwivedi while pronouncing judgment on the petition of Sanjeev Singh.

Sanjeev Singh was arrested by Dhanbad Police on April 11 in connection with the murder of former Deputy Mayor Niraj Singh of March 21, 2017.

On April 20, 2017 Singh was also shifted to Birsa Munda jail of Ranchi for security reasons owing to enmity with various local gangs and was brought to Dhanbad Divisional Jail on February 28, 2018 after a protracted legal battle.

Talking to The Telegraph Online, Md Javed, lawyer of Sanjeev Singh, said that the order has vindicated their stand on the issue that the transfer of Singh to Dumka Central Jail was uncalled for and unjustified.

The bench simultaneously rejected the criminal petition filed by Dhanbad jail administration against the lower court order of February 25 to return Sanjeev Singh to Dhanbad divisional jail.

Dhanbad Jail administration on February 21, shifted Sanjeev Singh from Dhanbad divisional jail to Dumka Central Jail on security grounds.

Sanjeev Singh through his lawyer Md Javed filed two petitions on February 22 in Dhanbad court including one seeking show cause notice against Dhanbad jail Superintendent Ajay Kumar for transferring him in haste and other seeking immediate transfer back of Sanjeev Singh to Dhanbad jail.

The Dhanbad court of Additional District and Session judge, Ravi Ranjan ordered the transfer back of Sanjeev Singh while hearing the petition of February 25 but the Dhanbad Jail administration on March 20 moved a criminal petition in Jharkhand High Court against the lower court order of transfer back of Sanjeev Singh.

Meanwhile, Sanjeev Singh through his lawyer also filed a petition in high court in April demanding his transfer back.

The high court completed the hearing on both the petitions on July 5 and reserved its order which was passed on Friday.

The transfer of Sanjeev Singh to Dumka Central Jail also witnessed political connotations as BJP leaders of the district led by his wife Ragini Singh and others comprising of Dhanbad MLA Raj Sinha and district president of BJP Chandrashekhar Singh staged a day-long dharna on February 23 opposing the transfer to Dumka Central Jail.