Canadian national’s murder: Bombay HC junks plea for exoneration

According to the prosecution, the murder was a result of a property dispute between the slain and her two brothers

MUMBAI: The Bombay high court has dismissed a petition of an accused in the August 2003 murder of Canadian national Asha Goel in Mumbai for quashing criminal proceedings against him.

The Bombay high court. (HT PHOTO)

A division bench of justices Prasanna Varale and SM Modak on Monday rejected the plea of Pawankumar Goenka, saying there was evidence to prosecute him while directing an expedited trial. Goenka worked as a manager at a jewellery-making unit of Goel’s brother, Sureshchandra Agarwal.

According to the prosecution, the siblings had a property dispute, and Goel was killed at the residence of Agarwal in 2003. The Mumbai crime branch concluded Goel’s brothers Sureshchandra Agarwal, who reported the murder to the police, and Subhash Agarwal plotted to kill Goel.

Sureshchandra Agarwal died before any legal action could be taken. Subhash Agarwal could not be prosecuted as he lives in Canada. The crime branch arrested four including Goenka for the murder.

Goenka moved the high court for quashing his prosecution, saying there was no evidence against him. But the court said a co-worker of Goenka had become an approver and said he was present at the meeting where the conspiracy for the murder was allegedly hatched. He also allegedly accompanied the killers to the building where Goel, 62, was stabbed to death.