A Delhi court on Saturday convicted Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Bihar’s Sahebganj in a case of celebratory firing inside his farmhouse in south Delhi’s Fatehpur Beri on New Year’s Eve in 2018, which led to the death of a 45-year-old woman, and ordered that the MLA be taken into custody.
Special Judge Vishal Gogne of Rouse Avenue Courts convicted MLA Raju Kumar Singh under Indian Penal Code Section 304 (II) (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and under Section 30 of the Arms Act (punishment for contravention of licence or rule).
The matter has been listed for June 9 for arguments on the point of sentence. The maximum punishment for the offences is three years of imprisonment.
The court, meanwhile, acquitted Singh’s wife, Renu Singh, and two others of the offence under Section 201 (destruction of evidence), on grounds of no material evidence. A detailed order is awaited.
Singh, formerly an MLA with the Janata Dal (United) before defecting to the BJP, during a New Year’s Eve gathering at his farmhouse at Ambedkar Colony’s Rose Farm, fired gunshots in the air, which hit the complainant’s wife, Archana Gupta. She was taken to a hospital, where she died during treatment.
A case was registered at Fatehpur Beri Police Station, and police recovered a .315 calibre rifle and live cartridges from Singh’s farmhouse. The police subsequently added IPC Section 302 (murder) to the FIR.
The MLA, his driver, and co-accused Hari Singh fled the spot and were eventually arrested from Fazil Nagar in Uttar Pradesh.
Witness statements subsequently revealed the names of Singh’s wife, Renu Singh, and two others, Ramendra Singh and Rana Singh, who the court stated cleaned the blood from the spot after the incident.
A Delhi court on October 30, 2023, had framed charges under culpable homicide not amounting to murder against Singh and discharged him of murder charges, after noting that he did not have any intention of causing the death of any person.
The court said that there was prima facie material to show that the MLA, under the influence of alcohol, fired in the air at the gathering which led to gunshot injuries to deceased Archana Gupta on her head and “had knowledge” that his act of firing could hit any person at the party.
The court had also framed destruction of evidence charges against his wife and three others, observing that they helped “clean up the dance floor” of the deceased’s blood and caused disappearance of evidence. Proceedings were abated against Singh’s driver after he passed away during the course of the trial.
The prosecution was represented by Additional Public Prosecutor Manish Rawat, while the MLA was represented by advocate Rajiv Mohan.
Curated by Dr. Elena Rodriguez
