NEW DELHI, Oct 15:
Aruna Chaddah, facing prosecution along with former Haryana Minister Gopal Kanda in former air hostess Geetika Sharma suicide case, was today again refused bail a Delhi court on the ground that she might tamper with the evidence.
Additional District and Sessions Judge S K Sarvaria dismissed the bail plea of 40-year-old Chaddah, who along with Kanda, is accused of abetting Geetika’s suicide.
This was the second time that her bail plea was rejected since her arrest on August 8.
Chaddah had sought bail on the ground that as the police had filed the charge sheet in the case and the investigation against her is complete, she should be released on bail in the light of “change” in circumstances.
Her counsel argued that even if a prima facie case is made out against her, she, being a woman, is entitled to bail as she is also a single parent to a minor daughter and has aged parents to look after.
Public Prosecutor Rajiv Mohan opposed Chaddah’s bail plea saying she had not disclosed true facts during interrogation and had accompanied Kanda to Dubai to persuade and threaten Geetika to resign from Emirates Airlines and join back the former minister’s MDLR.
The court noted the prosecution’s arguments that Chaddah had accompanied Geetika to the gynaecologist in March this year, leading to an inference that the victim was being persuaded and threatened to join back MDLR for sexual exploitation.
23-year-old Geetika was found dead at her Ashok Vihar residence in North West Delhi on August 5. In her August 4 suicide note, she had said she was ending her life due to “harassment” by Kanda and Chaddah, a charge denied by them.
Kanda was arrested on August 18 after he had surrendered before the police.
The court, in its order, noted the prosecution’s story that certain documents and phone call details record of Chaddah and Geetika and her mother leads to an inference that the accused was constantly persuading and threatening the victim and her mother.
“At the outset, I would agree with the counsel of the accused (Chaddah) that the bail application is maintainable due to change in circumstances,” the court said.
It, however, added that on the basis of certain facts pointed out by the prosecutor, “apprehension of the prosecution that the accused would tamper with the evidence if enlarged on bail cannot be said to be baseless.”
“Although, keeping in view the fact that the accused is a woman and investigation in the case against her is complete and she has to maintain her child and aged parents and some other factors which lean in her favour but keeping in view overall facts and circumstances of the case and likelihood of her tampering with the evidence and also larger social interest viz-a-viz right of accused to be enlarged on bail, I do not find it a fit case for grant of bail,” the judge said.
Earlier, the court had dismissed Chaddah’s bail plea in September.
The charge sheet filed by the Delhi Police in the case on October 6, said both Kanda and Chaddah had unleashed “a series of wilful and malicious acts of mental torture, threat, blackmail and stress” on Geetika, which led to her suicide.
Kanda and Chaddah have been charge sheeted under various provisions of the IPC relating to abetment of suicide, criminal conspiracy, criminal intimidation, destruction of evidence and forgery. They have also been booked under the Information and Technology Act which deals with hacking of computers. (PTI)
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