On Tuesday, a Delhi court declared the acquittal of former Haryana minister Gopal Kanda and co-accused Aruna Chadha in the case pertaining to the abetment of air hostess Geetika Sharma’s suicide. The special judge, Vikas Dhull, ruled in favor of the accused as the prosecution could not establish the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.
Source: The Week
The accused had been facing allegations under several sections, including 306 (abetment of suicide), 506 (criminal intimidation), 201 (destruction of evidence), 120B (criminal conspiracy), and 466 (forgery).After a trial court had framed charges of rape (376) and 377 (unnatural sex) against Kanda, the Delhi High Court subsequently quashed these charges under the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Source: India Today
Geetika Sharma Suicide Case
Geetika Sharma, a former employee of Kanda’s MLDR airlines, tragically passed away on August 5, 2012, at her residence in Ashok Vihar, northwest Delhi. Her demise was accompanied by a suicide note in which she explicitly stated that she was taking her life because of the “harassment” inflicted upon her by both Gopal Kanda and Aruna Chadha. As the case unfolded, Kanda faced mounting pressure and was compelled to step down from his position as the minister of state for home in the previous Congress government led by Bhupinder Singh Hooda in Haryana.
Source: Write Choice
The individual in question was confronted with a range of charges under different sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), encompassing 306 (abetment of suicide), 506 (criminal intimidation), 201 (destruction of evidence), 120B (criminal conspiracy), and 466 (forgery).
Additionally, the trial court had gone on to accuse him of rape (376) and 377 (unnatural sex), but these specific charges were later dismissed by the Delhi High Court.
Source: Deccan Herald
Geetika Sharma Case Timeline
On August 5, 2012, the lifeless body of Geetika Sharma was discovered hanging at her residence.
On the same day, the police recovered a suicide note from Geetika’s house, which explicitly held Gopal Kanda responsible for her tragic act.
Following the incident, on August 5, 2012, the police registered a case against Kanda, leading to his resignation from the post of minister of state for home.
Two days later, on August 7, 2012, Kanda was summoned for questioning by the police, during which he vehemently denied all the allegations against him.
Subsequently, on August 8, 2012, Aruna Chadha, the co-accused and MDLR manager in the case, was arrested.
Simultaneously, the police declared Kanda as absconding on the same day, August 8, 2012, while he sought anticipatory bail.
On August 9, 2012, a lookout notice was issued against Kanda, and a raid was conducted at his residence.
Later, on August 17, 2012, Kanda’s bail plea was rejected in court.
Finally, on August 18, 2012, Gopal Kanda surrendered himself at Delhi’s Ashok Vihar police station.
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