Jamshedpur, Feb. 28 :    Jamshedpur, Feb. 28:  The designated CBI court of the first additional district and sessions judge, S.K. Murari, today convicted Birendra Singh for the murder of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha president Nirmal Mahato. A formal verdict in the case will be pronounced tomorrow. 'The trial could have been completed earlier. It was delayed because two others accused in the case, Narendra Singh alias Pandit and Dhirendra Singh alias Pappu, were absconding. Besides, Birendra Singh had also moved the High Court against the charges established against him by the CBI and for not getting the investigating officer of the case examined. However, the High Court rejected his plea,' said S.P. Mishra, deputy legal advisor of the agency's Patna unit and special public prosecutor of the case. On August 7, 1987, the JMM leader, along with Suraj Mandal, Nirmal Bhattacharya and Inder Kumar Chaudhary was on his way to the residence of a local transporter. As soon as they stepped out of the Tisco guest house in Bistupur, a car (DEA 2544) arrived and five persons stepped out. They shot at Mahato from point blank range, killing him on the spot. An FIR was filed at the Bistupur police station on the basis of Mandal's statement. The case was initially investigated by the local police, but was later handed over to the CBI. The agency submitted its chargesheet on June 5, 1989 which established evidence against Birendra Singh as the main accused and Narendra Singh and Dhirendra Singh as conspirators. 'According to the CBI's investigation, Birendra Singh fired first and his brothers followed suit. The driver and owner of the vehicle used by them were also named as accused. But the agency has produced them as witnesses,' Mishra said. He said clinical and forensic tests had confirmed the involvement of Birendra Singh and the two other accused. 'Even the blood stains found on the clothes of Birendra Singh were that of Nirmal Mahato. We could establish the fact through clinical examination of the blood group,' Mishra added. While Narendra Singh is still absconding, Dhirendra Singh surrendered before the court and has been lodged in Ranchi Central Jail, Mishra said. Mahato's brother Sudhir, a senior JMM leader, said all those associated with the movement for a separate Jharkhand state were happy.