Geetika suicide: Chaddha sent to two day’s police custody

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A Delhi court on Thursday rejected the anticipatory bail plea of former Haryana minister Gopal Goyal Kanda – accused of abetting 23-year-old former airhostess Geetika Sharma’s suicide – saying the charges against him were serious in nature.

The Delhi Police have also issued a lookout notice against him.

Kanda’s bail plea was rejected shortly after the court sent co-accused Aruna Chadha, arrested on Wednesday, to two days police custody.

“The allegations against Kanda are grave and serious in nature. There are allegations of calls being made from other phone and SMSes have been sent to her. All this is required to be investigated thoroughly,” said additional sessions judge Rajnish Bhatnagar.

The court further observed that as the probe is at an initial stage, the release of Kanda would hamper the investigation.

“Keeping in view the facts and circumstances…, the bail application lacks merit and is hereby dismissed,” the judge said in the 10-page order.

A former air hostess with Kanda’s now defunct MDLR airline, Geetika allegedly committed suicide on Sunday accusing Kanda and MDLR official Aruna Chadha of harassing her. On Aruna’s custody, the court said, “Aruna is required for sustained interrogation.”

Earlier during the hearing, Kanda’s counsel KTS Tulsi said Geetika was a hypersensitive girl with mixed emotions of love and hatred towards him and that she might have felt jilted.

“Nowhere has Geetika said in her note that Kanda instigated her to commit suicide. The suicide note shows she had a disturbed state of mind,” he argued before the court.

Additional public prosecutor Rajiv Mohan said Kanda and Aruna had been pressurising Geetika to come back to MDLR even when she went to join Emirates.

Geetika’s family said Kanda was disrespecting law of the country. “He knows he is guilty and that is why he is absconding,” Ankit, brother of Geetika, said.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Thursday issued a notice to Kanda on a petition seeking registration of a case against him for allegedly threatening and assaulting some INLD workers in 2010.

Fresh raid at Kanda’s residence

Delhi Police carried out fresh raids at the residence of absconding former Haryana Minister Gopal Kanda, who is wanted in air hostess Geetika Sharma’s suicide case.

A police party headed by ACP Shailender Singh entered the former minister’s Rania Road house around 10:30 PM last night, officials said today.

This is the second such raid within 24 hours at the sprawling mansion of Kanda.

As the team that carried out the raid on Wednesday night was an all-male contingent and might have faced difficulty in questioning the women present in the Kanda residence, a woman constable was also part of the raiding party last night.

The police team remained inside the premises for almost 20 minutes.

The ACP leading the team told reporters waiting outside that the raid was a part of the ongoing investigations.

Official sources said Delhi Police personnel were also keeping a close watch on the movement of Kanda’s aides here.

Kanda’s anticipatory bail plea to avoid arrest in the case was yesterday rejected by a Delhi court which said the charges against him were serious and that he may hamper the probe.

Kanda, who is accused of abetment to suicide and criminal intimidation, has refused to appear for questioning before the Delhi Police.

“The allegations against Kanda are grave and serious in nature. There are allegations of calls being made from other phone and SMSs have been sent to her and all this is required to be investigated thoroughly,” Additional Sessions Judge Rajnish Bhatnagar had said.

Geetika (23), a former air hostess with Kanda’s now defunct MDLR airline, was found hanging in her flat in north west Delhi on Sunday.

In a suicide note found at her residence, Geetika said she was ending her life due to harassment by Kanda and MDLR official Aruna. Both Kanda and Aruna have denied the allegations.

Kanda, an Independent MLA who held Home, Urban Bodies and Industry and Commerce portfolios, resigned the following day.

 

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