Geetika case: Family says they were sure of conviction

Ankit Sharma, the brother of the deceased air-hostess, said that he had expected the legislator to be convicted because of the evidence

Hours after politician Gopal Goyal Kanda was acquitted by a Delhi court on charges of abetting Geetika Sharma’s suicide, her brother Ankit Sharma said that he had expected the legislator to be convicted because of the evidence gathered by the police investigators.

Former Haryana minister Gopal Goyal Kanda comes out of the Rouse Avenue court after being acquitted in the case of abetment of suicide of former air hostess Geetika Sharma. (ANI)

“The police submitted a charge sheet running into 1,800 pages. It contained all sorts of evidences of harassment, from emails to forensic reports. We expected him to be convicted,” said Sharma, 32.

Yet, each time he visited the courtroom, he would be swept by doubt about the outcome. “In the courtroom, we would feel like the accused,” said Sharma, who works for a private firm.

He was only 21 years old when his sister died by suicide and left a note blaming Kanda and his employee Aruna Chadha. Six months later, his mother died by suicide in the same room and manner as his sister – an act he attributes to depression over Geetika’s death.

Sharma and his father, Dinesh Sharma, have continued to live in the same house in north-west Delhi’s Ashok Vihar all these years.

He said that the Delhi Police carefully put together evidence that was submitted along with the charge sheet. “Every document collected and submitted by them was strong evidence. The emails and FSL reports submitted by the police as evidence seemed hinted that it was a watertight case. We always saw the police investigators aligned with us. They did all that was required to obtain a conviction.”

Special Judge Vikas Dhull pronounced the verdict for the acquittal of Kanda and his associate Aruna Chaddha. Kanda and Chaddha were booked in August 2012 after the air hostess was found dead at her residence. A note found at the residence said she was ending her life due to Kanda and Chaddha’s harassment.

Chaddha was arrested while Kanda surrendered in August. The two were initially charged under the Indian Penal Code’s Sections 306 (abetment to suicide), 506 (criminal intimidation), 201 (destruction of evidence), 120B (criminal conspiracy), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 469 (forgery for purpose of harming reputation) and 471 (using as genuine a forged document).

The Delhi court later dropped additional charges filed against them under IPC Sections 376 (rape) and 377 (unnatural offences). It granted Kanda regular bail in March 2014 on the grounds that Chaddha was released on bail a month earlier.

On Tuesday,Sharma said the case has taken a heavy emotional toll on him and his father who is retired. “My 65-year-old father and I would not miss a single hearing in court all these years while Kanda would be allowed long absences for visiting foreign countries. Yet we held on in the hope of receiving justice,” he said.

But in the courtroom, Sharma alleged, Kanda’s “privileges” would be on display. “We would see him come in as a VIP and be offered the lawyer’s chair. We could see his privileges as a politician in the treatment he received and in his body language.”

“We would feel like mere accessories in the courtroom,” he added.

Kanda’s lawyer RS Malik, however, denied any privileges accorded to his client. “Kanda is an innocent man who suffered in silence for 11 years. He nearly lost his career due to false allegations against him. There were 25 charges pressed against him, none of them were proved,” Malik said.

Sharma said that the case moved slowly until 2019. “Until then, court hearings would be sporadic. After that, the frequency increased dramatically and it appeared that the case was being would up.” Kanda, who had to resign from a Haryana minister in 2012, unsuccessfully contested the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. He was later elected as a legislator from Sirsa in 2019.

Malik said that Sharma’s accusations does not hold weight. “The court has acquitted Kanda after studying the evidence against him for 11 years. They (Geetika’s family) have nothing to say, hence they are bringing up such non-issues now.”

While Sharma said that he and his father are disheartened by the judgement, he added that they will request the state to appeal the acquittal in the high court. “If the state is willing to appeal the judgment, we will gather all our courage to resume our fight.”