A Delhi court has taken cognisance of abetment to commit suicide charge against former Haryana Minister Gopal Kanda and one of his former employees for allegedly harassing a woman to die by suicide. The court has issued summons to the accused in the case.
The woman, Anuradha Sharma, was the mother of Geetika Sharma, who also died by suicide, on being allegedly harassed by the former Minister. She was a complainant and a material witness in the case.
The police are prosecuting both the accused for criminal conspiracy to abet Geetika to commit suicide and other offences under the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act. Geetika was a flight attendant in MDLR airline, now defunct, owned by the former Minister. She was found hanging at her Ashok Vihar residence in 2012.
The Bharat Nagar police in north-west Delhi had urged the court to close Anuradha’s death case, stating that witnesses, including the husband and son of the deceased, at that time of giving statements, have not alleged that any threat was issued by accused Gopal Kanda and his former employee Aruna Chadha to the deceased.
Rejecting the closure report, Additional Chief Metropolitan (ACMM) Magistrate Ekta Guaba said: “In view of the notes left by the deceased Anuradha Sharma as mentioned in the police report and in view of the statement of Ankit Sharma, son of the deceased, mentioned in the police report and on perusal of the police report and in exercise of powers under Section 190(1)(b) Cr.P.C and in the interest of justice, I take cognizance of the offence under Section 306/34 IPC. Issue summons to the accused Gopal Goyal Kanda and accused Aruna Chadha through the SHO concerned returnable for April 15.”
“On perusal of file and as per the verbal statement of investigating office ( IO) ACP Jawahar Singh, it is clear that the statements of the witnesses are not available on record. Even perusal of list of documents annexed with the case file shows that the IO had not attached on record the statements under Section 161 Cr.P.C of the witnesses for the reason best known to him. SHO, PS Bharat Nagar is directed to trace out the statements,” the ACMM further said.
