Zee Media Bureau
New Delhi: A Delhi court on Tuesday granted bail to ex-Haryana minister Gopal Goyal Kanda, an accused in airhostess Geetika Sharma suicide case.
Additional Sessions Judge Yashwant Kumar had last week fixed March 04 for order after the Delhi Police and Kanda`s counsel concluded their submissions.
Requesting the court to grant him bail, Kanda`s counsel Kapil Sankhla said the former minister has been in judicial custody for the last 18 months and the charge of sexual exploitation against him was dropped by the Delhi High Court.
The Delhi Police opposed the bail plea, saying the former minister could influence witnesses if he is released on bail.
Additional Public Prosecutor Rajiv Mohan had claimed Kanda had given false documents related to treatment of his wife at a government hospital here to secure bail.
The prosecution claim was opposed by the counsel for Kanda, who had told the judge that it is a typographical error and if the police want they can verify from the hospital.
Kanda had approached the court on February 17 seeking bail on the ground that he has to look after his ailing wife.
He said he is under judicial custody for the last 18 months and the probe into the case has also been completed.
Kanda`s counsel had also told the court that the charges of sexual exploitation has been dropped against him by the Delhi High Court and earlier bail applications of his client were rejected on the ground that there were serious charges of sexual exploitation against him.
Kanda had surrendered before the police on August 18, 2012 while Aruna Chadha, Kanda`s employee and co-accused in the case, was arrested on August 08, 2012.
The High Court had recently granted bail to Chadha.
The trial in the case had begun on May 27 last year when the court recorded the statements of eight witnesses, including police personnel and the doctor who had conducted the postmortem of the victim.
Chadha and Kanda are accused of abetting the suicide of the 23-year-old former airhostess who was earlier employed in Kanda`s MDLR airlines.
Both the accused have also been charged with forgery for cheating and harming the reputation of the victim.
The air hostess was found dead on August 05, 2012 at her Ashok Vihar residence in north west Delhi.
In her suicide note, she had said she was ending her life due to "harassment" by Kanda and Chadha.
(With Agency inputs)
