RJD's Kartik Kumar replaced from law portfolio, shifted to sugarcane department

In a significant development, RJD’s Kartik Kumar, who was given the law portfolio earlier in the month, was shifted to the sugarcane department amid the ongoing row over his alleged involvement in a criminal case.

Shamim Ahmad, also an RJD leader, replaced Kumar as the law minister, a notification issued by the state Cabinet Secretariat Department said. Ahmad held the sugarcane portfolio before his elevation.

Also Read | Nitish Kumar alerted RJD leaders about CBI raids: BJP

The opposition BJP had been demanding Kumar’s removal from the cabinet, alleging that an arrest warrant was pending against him in a 2014 kidnapping case.

The Congress and CPI-ML (Liberation), constituents of the ruling Grand Alliance, had also asked the Nitish Kumar government to reconsider the decision of inducting Kartik Kumar into the cabinet.