Dhanbad, April 19: The bail petition of Sanjay Singh, among those accused of the murder of Congress leader Niraj Singh was rejected today and his lawyer declared that he would appeal against the ruling in a higher court.

The bail application of Sanjay Singh, elder brother of late Ranjay Singh, whose killing police believe is linked to the March 21 gun attack on Niraj, was moved in the court of Dhanbad chief judicial magistrate Rajeev Ranjan yesterday by his lawyer Mohammad Javed.

Today assistant public prosecutor Mohammed Jabbar Hussain opposed the bail petition, but Javed claimed that Sanjay Singh was being held even though there was no substantial evidence against him. He said Sanjay was being falsely implicated, merely on the suspicion that Ranjay Singh's death led to the revenge killing of Niraj.

But prosecutor Jabbar Hussain strongly refuted the lawyer's contention, saying Sanjay Singh was the key conspirator of the Niraj Singh murder that led to the deaths of three others.

Mohammed Javed said they would appeal in the district sessions court against the CJM court's order. "We pleaded before the court that Sanjay Singh never figured in the FIR lodged in connection with murder case and his name had been included without any reason," he told The Telegraph.

A hail of bullets had killed Niraj Singh, his personal assistant, a bodyguard and driver in Saraidhela on March 21 in one of the most shocking murders in the coal capital.

So far, as many as eight persons have been arrested. Among the first to be picked up was Sanjay Singh on March 29 along with five others.

Jharia MLA Sanjeev Singh was arrested on April 11 for plotting the murder of his cousin, along with Dablu Mishra, who had arranged rented accommodation for four shooters who are still on the run.