Zee Media Bureau
New Delhi: A Delhi court will on Monday hear the bail plea of former Haryana minister Gopal Kanda accused of abetting the suicide of Geetika Sharma, a former airhostess with his MDLR Airlines which is now defunct.
Kanda had sought bail from a Delhi court after charges of rape and unnatural sex against him were quashed by the Delhi High Court last month.
The fresh bail plea was moved before Additional Sessions Judge MC Gupta, who is presiding over the special fast-track court dealing with cases of sexual offences against women, and was earlier hearing the matter.
However, with the charges of rape and unnatural sex being quashed by the high court, the application was sent to the court of district judge and additional sessions judge SK Sarvaria and has been fixed for hearing for August 5.
Kanda and his employee Aruna Chadha are accused of abetting the suicide of 23-year-old former air hostess with his MDLR Airlines. She was found dead on August 5, last year at her Ashok Vihar residence in northwest Delhi.
In her August 4 suicide note, she had said she was ending her life due to "harassment" by Kanda, 46, and Chadha, 40.
While the trial court had framed additional charges of rape and unnatural sex against Kanda and of their abetment against Chadha, the high court had on July 25 quashed the charges while deciding an appeal moved by Chadha.
"The ASJ fell into gross error in framing the charge under Sections 376/377 (rape and unnatural sex) against the co-accused Kanda which cannot be sustained. Since no charge against co-accused under these Sections could have been framed, the petitioner (Chadha) could not have been guilty of abetting," the high court had said.
(With PTI Inputs)
