NEW DELHI, May 1:  Don-turned-politician and former Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Mohammad Shahabuddin passed away at a hospital in Delhi where he was undergoing treatment for Covid-19, officials said on Saturday.

The 53-year-old was serving a life sentence in a 2004 double murder case. He was shifted to the Tihar jail in 2018.

Sandeep Goyal, the Director General of Tihar jail, said in a statement, “Information has been received from the DDU (Deen Dayal Upadhyay) Hospital about the death of Mohammad Shahabuddin, an inmate of Delhi prison.”

The official said that Shahbuddin was suffering from Covid-19 and was admitted to the DDU Hospital on April 20.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Delhi High Court had directed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government and the prison authorities to ensure proper medical supervision and care of Shahabuddin.

Justice Prathiba M. Singh had said that the doctor on duty for looking after Covid patients shall monitor Shahabuddin’s health condition and treatment.

A court in Bihar had awarded a 10-year sentence to Shahabuddin for his involvement in an Arms Act case.

The former RJD Lok Sabha MP from Bihar’s Siwan had then challenged the court’s order and filed an appeal before the Supreme Court seeking appropriate orders.

Later, the Supreme Court had sought a detailed response from the Bihar government after hearing the petition filed by him challenging his conviction.

Shahabuddin’s senior lawyer had told the apex court that his client has been in jail for the last 14 years in a murder case.