24-Year-Old Dhananjay Singh Shootout Case Reopens Doctor..

Varanasi: A 24-year-old high-profile shootout case involving former MP Dhananjay Singh has resurfaced in Varanasi as the MP-MLA court resumes crucial hearings. The case relates to a 2002 attack near Taksal Cinema in the Cantonment area, where Singh and his associates were injured in a firing incident.

Special Judge (MP-MLA Court) Yajuvendra Vikram Singh has allowed an application under Section 311 filed by Dhananjay Singh, summoning two key witnesses connected to the defence’s plea of alibi — Dr. Arvind Kumar Singh and pharmacist Subhakar Yadav. Both are scheduled to be re-examined today via video conferencing.

The defence claims that at the time of the incident, accused Abhay Singh and Sandeep Singh were undergoing treatment at a government hospital in Lucknow. The renewed cross-examination is expected to test the authenticity of that claim.

This case, registered in 2002 and pending trial since 2003, is considered one of the oldest matters in the MP-MLA court. Although evidence from both sides concluded in 2021, a stay order from the Allahabad High Court delayed the final judgment. After the related proceedings concluded in August 2025, arguments in the main case resumed.

The court has remarked that the matter cannot be delayed further and that witness examination will proceed without adjournments. Legal observers say today’s hearing could be decisive in determining whether the alibi defence holds weight in this decades-old case.

The original incident occurred on October 4, 2002, when armed assailants allegedly opened fire on Dhananjay Singh’s convoy. Several people were injured, and a case was registered naming multiple accused, including political figures. While four accused were acquitted in a related gangster case in 2025 due to lack of evidence, the main trial continues.

With renewed momentum in court, attention remains focused on whether this long-pending case is finally approaching judgment.