Supreme Court Upholds Convictions in 1983 Bihar Mass Murder Case, Says Crime Shocks Judicial Conscience

May 27, 2026 : The Supreme Court has upheld the conviction and life sentence of several persons in connection with the brutal murder of five people in Bihar in 1983, observing that the gruesome nature of the crime “shocks the judicial conscience.”

A Bench comprising Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice N. Kotiswar Singh dismissed the appeals filed by the convicts against the August 2017 judgment of the Patna High Court, which had affirmed the trial court’s verdict.

The Court noted that both the trial court and the High Court were correct in concluding that the case did not warrant any misplaced sympathy or leniency considering the extreme brutality involved.

According to the Supreme Court, the incident occurred in March 1983 in a village in Muzaffarpur district of Bihar. On the day of Holi, a mob of nearly 58 armed persons allegedly surrounded the house of Chandra Shekhar Choudhary, set it on fire, and carried out a violent attack that resulted in the deaths of five people and injuries to several others.

The apex court observed that the manner in which the offence was committed reflected extreme violence and cruelty, justifying the punishment imposed by the lower courts.