A Ranchi court in Jharkhand on May 4, granted bail to Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) top cadreKundan Pahan, in connection with a 2009 encounter between Security Forces (SFs) and CPI-Maoistcadres at Lali village in Namkum, citing lack of evidence against the surrendered rebel, reports The Pioneer.The court of Justice SK Singh, after listening to statements of nine witnesses from the prosecution and four witnesses from defendants, decided to grant bail to Pahan in the case as there was lack of evidence proving his involvement in the encounter.Pahan, however, will continue to serve imprisonment for other cases, in which he was found guilty. One of the most wanted rebels in Jharkhand for nearly two decades, Pahan faces charges in at least 128 cases, including beheading of Special Branch officer Francis Induwar and assassination of former minister Ramesh Singh Munda. He is also accused of looting INR 55 million from a private bank on National Highway 33.Police had named Pahan and seven others in the 2009 encounter at Lali village under Namkum police station in Ranchi. The other seven have already been granted bail in the case.Pahan officially surrendered under the Maoist surrender cum rehabilitation scheme of the State Government on May 15, 2017 at the State police headquarters in Ranchi.