Kanda’s bail plea rejected

A Delhi court on Thursday turned down former Haryana minister Gopal Kanda's bail plea, saying investigation could be hampered if he was released.

A Delhi court on Thursday turned down former Haryana minister Gopal Kanda's bail plea, saying investigation could be hampered if he was released.

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"Investigation is still at an initial stage… the accused is likely to hamper investigation if granted bail," District and Additional Sessions Judge SK Sarvaria said.

Kanda is an accused in the Geetika Sharma murder case. Sharma, a 23-year-old former airhostess with Kanda's MDLR airline, had committed suicide at her residence on August 5.

In her suicide note, she had accused Kanda and MDLR official Aruna Chaddha, a co-accused, of harassing her.

Fearing that evidence might be tampered, the prosecution alleged that despite daily assurances from Kanda and his family, three mobile phones used by the former minister had not been produced. It said the phones had been destroyed.

The missing hard disk from Kanda's computer at his home had also been destroyed, the prosecution said.

In his bail plea, Kanda contended that the investigation conducted so far did not establish that he could be tried under Section 306 of IPC (abetment of suicide).

The suicide note, the statement of the Geetika's mother incorporated in the FIR and other material collected during the investigation does not constitute the offence, it said.

The prosecution further contended that Kanda's 14-day police remand was over and only documentary evidence remained which he cannot tamper.

Taking note of a private gynecologist's report that a pregnant Geetika had visited the clinic on March 9 along with Chaddha, the court observed that it might had been one of the causes for her May 5 suicide note.

The court said it needed to be investigated if the pregnancy had any connection with her being pressured to rejoin MDLR airlines.

Referring to the postmortem report, the court said: "The matter requires investigation whether the victim declined to join the services with the accused or was being pressured to join it for the purpose of her sexual abuse or not."

Appearing on behalf of Kanda, senior advocate Ramesh Gupta argued that postmortem report failed to reveal Geetika's sexual relation with Kanda and added that the suicide notes don't indicate the same.

Chaddha moves HC for bail
Aruna Chaddha, a co-accused in the case, on Thursday moved a bail application in the Delhi High Court. It will be heard on Friday.

Chaddha, 40, sought bail saying that she has a seven-year-old daughter and old parents to look after.

She claimed the material collected by police did not show that she was involved in abetting Geetika's suicide.