New Delhi, May 11 ( ) The Supreme Court has granted bail to former Mumbai police officer Pradeep Sharma, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in the 2006 fake encounter murder case of gangster Ramnarayan Gupta alias Lakhan Bhaiya. Was.
A bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and Prashant Kumar Mishra took note of the Maharashtra government's counsel's submission that the state had no objection to the court granting bail to Sharma.
Senior advocates Mukul Rohatgi and Siddharth Luthra appeared for Sharma, while senior advocate R Basant represented the complainant and opposed the bail plea of the former officer.
The apex court had earlier on April 8 said that he need not surrender till further orders to undergo the life sentence awarded in the case.
Allowing Sharma's appeal against the March 19 verdict of the Bombay High Court, the bench had said, "This is a case of reversal of the acquittal of the High Court where the appellant has filed an appeal.The statutory appeal is accepted for hearing. Issue bail notice On the petition, the High Court has directed him to surrender within three weeks till the next date of hearing.
Sharma, who along with the likes of Daya Nayak, Vijay Salaskar and Ravindra Angre, was part of the dreaded Mumbai Police squad that attacked the city's underworld in the 1990s and 2000s and gunned down several alleged criminals, was arrested in Bombay. Has been arrested. This order was challenged in the High Court and he was sentenced to life imprisonment in the case of fake encounter murder of Ramnarayan Gupta, an alleged close associate of gangster Chhota Rajan.
On March 19, the High Court had upheld the conviction and life imprisonment of 13 other accused – 12 former policemen and a civilian.It said, "Protectors/protectors of law cannot be allowed to act as criminals in uniform and if this is allowed it will lead to anarchy".
The court said the prosecution had proved beyond reasonable doubt Gupta's kidnapping, wrongful imprisonment and murder in a fake encounter with "credible, cogent and legally acceptable evidence".
However, it quashed the 2013 verdict of Sharma's acquittal by the sessions court due to lack of evidence and termed it "perverted and untenable".
The High Court had convicted Sharma on all charges including criminal conspiracy, murder, kidnapping and wrongful imprisonment and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
Sharma is also an accused in the murder of businessman Mansukh Hiren, from whom the SUV used in the Antilia bomb case was traced.However, Hiren had told the police that the vehicle had been stolen a few days before the incident. A few days after the incident, his body was found floating in a drain in Mumbai suburbs.
On November 11, 2006, a police team picked up Ramnarayan Gupta alias Lakha Bhaiya from Vashi in Navi Mumbai along with his friend Anil Bheda and killed them in a fake encounter near Versova in western Mumbai the same evening.
Gupta's associate Anil Bheda was released from custody in December 2006.
However, in July 2011, Bheda was also allegedly kidnapped and murdered, days before he was to testify in court.State CID is investigating the case.
Taking cognizance of the Bheda case, the High Court had said that till date the CID has not taken any steps to complete the investigation and trace the culprits.
Twenty-two people, including 13 policemen, were initially charged in the Ramnarayan Gupta fake encounter murder case.
After the hearing, in 2013, the Sessions Court found 21 accused guilty and sentenced them to life imprisonment. Two convicted persons died in custody.
Those convicted filed an appeal in the High Court, while Gupta's brother Ramprasa appealed against Sharma's acquittal.
A bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and Prashant Kumar Mishra took note of the Maharashtra government's counsel's submission that the state had no objection to the court granting bail to Sharma.
Senior advocates Mukul Rohatgi and Siddharth Luthra appeared for Sharma, while senior advocate R Basant represented the complainant and opposed the bail plea of the former officer.
The apex court had earlier on April 8 said that he need not surrender till further orders to undergo the life sentence awarded in the case.
Allowing Sharma's appeal against the March 19 verdict of the Bombay High Court, the bench had said, "This is a case of reversal of the acquittal of the High Court where the appellant has filed an appeal.The statutory appeal is accepted for hearing. Issue bail notice On the petition, the High Court has directed him to surrender within three weeks till the next date of hearing.
Sharma, who along with the likes of Daya Nayak, Vijay Salaskar and Ravindra Angre, was part of the dreaded Mumbai Police squad that attacked the city's underworld in the 1990s and 2000s and gunned down several alleged criminals, was arrested in Bombay. Has been arrested. This order was challenged in the High Court and he was sentenced to life imprisonment in the case of fake encounter murder of Ramnarayan Gupta, an alleged close associate of gangster Chhota Rajan.
On March 19, the High Court had upheld the conviction and life imprisonment of 13 other accused – 12 former policemen and a civilian.It said, "Protectors/protectors of law cannot be allowed to act as criminals in uniform and if this is allowed it will lead to anarchy".
The court said the prosecution had proved beyond reasonable doubt Gupta's kidnapping, wrongful imprisonment and murder in a fake encounter with "credible, cogent and legally acceptable evidence".
However, it quashed the 2013 verdict of Sharma's acquittal by the sessions court due to lack of evidence and termed it "perverted and untenable".
The High Court had convicted Sharma on all charges including criminal conspiracy, murder, kidnapping and wrongful imprisonment and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
Sharma is also an accused in the murder of businessman Mansukh Hiren, from whom the SUV used in the Antilia bomb case was traced.However, Hiren had told the police that the vehicle had been stolen a few days before the incident. A few days after the incident, his body was found floating in a drain in Mumbai suburbs.
On November 11, 2006, a police team picked up Ramnarayan Gupta alias Lakha Bhaiya from Vashi in Navi Mumbai along with his friend Anil Bheda and killed them in a fake encounter near Versova in western Mumbai the same evening.
Gupta's associate Anil Bheda was released from custody in December 2006.
However, in July 2011, Bheda was also allegedly kidnapped and murdered, days before he was to testify in court.State CID is investigating the case.
Taking cognizance of the Bheda case, the High Court had said that till date the CID has not taken any steps to complete the investigation and trace the culprits.
Twenty-two people, including 13 policemen, were initially charged in the Ramnarayan Gupta fake encounter murder case.
After the hearing, in 2013, the Sessions Court found 21 accused guilty and sentenced them to life imprisonment. Two convicted persons died in custody.
Those convicted filed an appeal in the High Court, while Gupta's brother Ramprasa appealed against Sharma's acquittal.
