Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: Absconding former Haryana minister Gopal Goyal Kanda's anticipatory bail plea was today opposed in the Delhi High Court by the police which said his custodial interrogation was necessary to unearth the conspiracy leading to the suicide of his former employee Geetika Sharma.
The prosecution also questioned the conduct of Kanda who has gone into hiding and has removed all electronic gadgets, including his lap top and computer, from his office.
"His custodial interrogation is needed to find out the conspiracy aspect between the accused (Kanda) and his employee Aruna Chaddha against Sharma," Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Siddharth Luthra submitted to Justice P K Bhasin, who reserved his verdict on Kanda's anticipatory bail.
The ASG said the former Haryana minister has been on the run despite a notice served upon him to join the investigation which is at a very preliminary stage and sought the court to reject Kanda's anticipatory bail.
"Looking into his conduct of not joining the investigation, removal of all electronic items including his laptop and computer from his office. It is a case for refusal of anticipatory bail," Luthra added.
Appearing for Kanda, senior advocate K TS Tulsi said no case under section 306 (abetment of suicide) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) is made out against his client.
"Prima facie no case is made out against Kanda on the basis of the FIR and the suicide note. The suicide note cannot be the gospel truth and the same has to be proved by independent evidence," Tulsi said.
The young woman was found hanging from the ceiling of her house here on the night of Aug 4-5.
She left behind two suicide notes, blaming Kanda and Aruna Chaddha, senior executive in Kanda's group now under arrest, for her suicide.
"I may be fond of her, she may be fond of me but that does not mean I incite her to commit suicide," Tulsi said defending Kanda.
He said some other evidence was required to hold Kanda responsible for Geetika's suicide.
"The reason given by trial court while dismissing anticipatory bail were that there was misuse of power by me, I have given preferential treatment to Geetika and I exploited her, but these are not offences under offence of abetment for commission of suicide," Tulsi said.
He said Geetika was an ambitious girl and suicide was not in her mind.
"Even her mother and brother did not know she could commit suicide, how could I know," Tulsi argued on Kanda's behalf.
Kanda's anticipatory bail plea was dismissed August 9 by a sessions court that said allegations against him were grave and serious and his bail plea had no merit.
Kanda was booked for abetment to Geetika's suicide and criminal intimidation. He is yet to appear before Delhi Police for questioning.
Kanda began his career as a petty businessman and later became a millionaire property dealer. He floated MDLR Airlines in 2007.
He was elected to the Haryana Assembly as an independent from Sirsa in October 2009. He joined the Congress-led government headed of Bhupinder Singh Hooda.
With Agency inputs)
First Published: Tuesday, August 14, 2012, 09:52