Evidence comes to a halt as accused cop in mental hospital

Mumbai court halts Chetan Singh Chaudhary's trial as he is admitted to a mental hospital; eye-witness testimony remains pending.

Mumbai: Crucial eye-witness testimony in the trial of Chetan Singh Chaudhary, the RPF jawan who shot dead his senior and three passengers in a train on July 31, 2023, came to an abrupt halt on Tuesday, as the accused is currently admitted in a mental hospital.

Evidence comes to a halt as accused cop in mental hospital

The court had tried to get Chaudhary’s presence through video conferencing, but had been told by the Thane Central Jail that he was admitted to Thane mental hospital.

When additional sessions judge Nandkishor More inquired about the mental condition of the accused, Chaudhary’s lawyer Jaywant Patil submitted an application requesting that as his client was under treatment in Thane Mental Hospital since February 20, in his absence, evidence should not be recorded and the hearing should be postponed. The court directed that the Thane Central Jail send Chaudhary’s medical report by March 29.

Doctors at Akola Government Hospital, where Chaudhary had been taken for treatment on December 19, 2024, had recommended that he be moved to Thane mental hospital for medical examination. An order allowing this was passed by the sessions court in January 2025.

Soon after his arrest, Chaudhary had pleaded “partial insanity” in his bail application. The court rejected it in December 2023, saying “the accused not only committed the murder of ASI Tikaram Meena but also three other passengers of a particular community by making them specific targets and uttered words which clearly show that he was in a well-settled position and mind to commit murder of (members of) a particular community.”

On Tuesday, Chaudhary’s former colleague, RPF head constable Narendra Parmar described how he had seen Chaudhary take a passenger at gun point from Coach B1 of the Jaipur-Mumbai Superfast Express towards the pantry car. The passenger had a long beard and was dressed in white, he replied to a question by PP Sudhir Sapkale.

Parmar had just been informed by his colleague, RPF constable Amey Acharya, that Chaudhary, who was insisting that he be allowed to alight at Valsad station since he was feeling unwell, had shot their superior ASI Tikaram Meena, who had turned down his demand.

As he hurried towards the AC coach where Meena had been on duty, he saw Chaudhary approaching Coach B1. Frightened by his demeanour, Parmar hid himself along with other passengers standing there. “He seemed aggressive, as if he could kill anyone,” said Parmar.

As Chaudhary took the bearded passenger at gun point, Parmar, who was armed with a pistol containing 10 rounds, followed them at a distance. He wanted to restrain Chaudhary, said Parmar, but he could not dare fire at him because of the presence of passengers between them.

Chaudhary then started moving ahead towards Coach S 6. Parmar followed him, and saw the passenger taken by Chaudhary lying dead on the floor. Parmar then called Acharya to inform him what had happened, and also told him to inform the Control Room. As he followed Chaudhary, Parmar saw him stop in Coach S 6 to talk to a passenger. At this point, Judge More stopped the deposition.

Like Acharya, Parmar was dismissed after the incident, for “failure to discharge (his) duty…to provide security and protection to the passengers.” The 60-year-old now lives in Ahmedabad.