Prominent businessman shot dead in Patna, Nitish chairs meeting to review law and order
Patna (PTI): Prominent Bihar-based businessman Gopal Khemka was shot dead outside his residence in Patna by a bike-borne assailant, police said on Saturday.
The incident took place around 11.40 pm on Friday near the gate of Khemka’s house in Gandhi Maidan locality as he was about to alight from his car, they said.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar convened a meeting on Saturday to review the law and order situation in the state during which he instructed officials concerned to complete the investigation into the killing of Khemka at the earliest, officials said.
SP (Patna Central) Diksha told reporters that officers of the local police station and personnel in patrolling vehicles had immediately reached the spot and secured the crime scene.
“An investigation is underway. Forensic experts are collecting evidence and CCTV footage is also being examined. A bullet and a cartridge have been recovered from the spot. Preliminary investigation suggests he was gunned down by an unidentified bike-borne assailant,” she said.
A statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office said he emphasised at the meeting that the rule of law is top priority for the NDA government, and “warned of strict action against police personnel in case of negligence”.
“He also instructed officials concerned to complete the investigation into the killing of Khemka at the earliest,” it added.
Meanwhile, some relatives and family members of Khemka alleged that police personnel arrived at the spot nearly two hours after the incident.
Talking to PTI, Bihar DGP Vinay Kumar, however, denied the charge.
“There is no question of delay in police action. In fact, information about the incident reached the police around 12.30 am on Saturday. After the shooting took place at 11.40 pm on Friday, his family members took him to a private hospital in Kankarbagh locality, which took almost 30-35 minutes. It was the hospital authorities that alerted police. Senior officers reached the crime scene around 12.40 am,” Kumar said.
An SIT, comprising officials of the Special Task Force and sleuths of the central district police, has been constituted to supervise the ongoing investigation into the businessman's murder, the DGP said.
The possibility of an old enmity as the cause of killing can’t be ruled out, he said, adding police have obtained some crucial leads in the case.
“Khemka’s son was also killed in Hajipur in 2018. In the wake of that, security was provided to Gopal Khemka on a payment basis. It was withdrawn in April 2024, and he never requested for security thereafter. After yesterday’s incident, police have provided security to his other son, who is a doctor by profession,” Kumar said.
Reacting to the incident, Leader of Opposition in the assembly, Tejashwi Yadav, said in a post on X: “A few steps away from the police station in Patna, a prominent Bihar businessman was shot dead! Hundreds of businessmen/traders are being murdered in Bihar every month, but people are not calling it jungle raj. This is called media management and image building exercise by the government.”
Bihar Congress Spokesperson Rajesh Rathod said it has once again “exposed” the law and order situation in the state.
“The Bihar government headed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has failed to check the deteriorating law and order. The state is witnessing cases of murder, rape, kidnapping, extortion and abduction everyday,” Rathod told reporters.
Independent Lok Sabha MP from Purnea, Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav, in another post on X, said, “No one is safe… Criminals are being protected by the current NDA government in the state. Nitish ji, please spare Bihar.”
VIDEO | Patna, Bihar: Prominent businessman Gopal Khemka was shot dead near his residence in Patna by a bike-borne assailant late Friday. CCTV visuals of the incident.#PatnaNews #BiharNews
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Justice Nagarathna dissents on SC collegium’s recommendation of Justice Pancholi
Dissent cites seniority concerns, Gujarat High Court’s over-representation
New Delhi: Supreme Court judge B.V. Nagarathna has recorded a dissent note against the collegium’s recommendation to elevate Patna High Court Chief Justice Vipul Manubhai Pancholi to the apex court, The Indian Express reported.
The five-member collegium, comprising Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai and Justices Surya Kant, Vikram Nath, J.K. Maheshwari, and Nagarathna, reached the decision with a 4–1 split. Justice Nagarathna, the lone woman on the bench, opposed Pancholi’s elevation, citing concerns over seniority and regional representation.
Justice Pancholi ranks 57th on the all-India seniority list of high court judges. Justice Nagarathna reportedly objected to the move, noting that it came less than three months after another judge from the Gujarat High Court, Justice N.V. Anjaria, was elevated to the Supreme Court. She argued that advancing Pancholi would bypass several senior judges and further increase Gujarat’s representation at the top court, while other high courts remain underrepresented.
Her dissenting note, according to reports, emphasized that such decisions could undermine the credibility of the collegium system and have long-term consequences for the administration of justice.
Justice Pancholi, who served nearly two decades in the Gujarat High Court, was transferred to Patna High Court in July 2023 and appointed its Chief Justice in July 2025. His elevation, along with that of Justice Anjaria, was intended to maintain Gujarat’s representation in the Supreme Court following the retirements of Justices M.R. Shah and Bela Trivedi earlier this year.
With a sanctioned strength of 34 judges, the Supreme Court follows criteria of seniority, merit, integrity, and regional balance in appointments. Justice Nagarathna’s dissent highlights ongoing debates about diversity and fairness in judicial elevations.
