Ex-Haryana minister Gopal Kanda acquitted in 2012 air hostess suicide case

The court also acquitted Gopal Kanda’s associate Aruna Chadha of all charges including abetment of suicide, criminal conspiracy, destruction of evidence and forgery.

Geetika Sharma, a former air hostess with Gopal Kanda’s MLDR airlines, who was later elevated as a director of one of his companies, was found dead on August 5, 2012, at her Ashok Vihar residence in northwest Delhi.

In her August 4 suicide note, she said she was ending her life due to “harassment” by Gopal Kanda and Aruna Chadha. Geetika Sharma’s mother had also committed suicide six months after her daughter’s death.

The court ruling

The court noted that the prosecution has failed to prove the offence under Section 306 (Abetment of suicide) read with 120-B IPC that accused persons pursuant to criminal conspiracy had created such circumstances, due to which deceased Geetika Sharma had no option but to commit suicide.

The Delhi court also said the former air hostess was friendly with accused Aruna Chadha and used to socialize with her. The friendship of the deceased with accused Aruna Chadha was not a casual one, as the deceased used to share her personal secrets with Aruna Chadha.

The court further took notice that during the evidence of a witness of a doctor in the month of March 2012, Geetika Sharma had come to her clinic on the reference made by Aruna Chadha for the purpose of abortion as Geetika Sharma was unmarried. Therefore, there is a strong possibility that Aruna Chadha might be knowing about the person, who was having physical relations with Geetika Sharma.

The court noted that the possibility of Aruna Chadha and Gopal Goyal Kanda disclosing this fact to the mother of deceased in a telephonic conversation on August 3 and August 4, 2012, respectively, being the well-wishers of the family or out of jealousy, which led to a quarrel between Geetika Sharma and her mother on her return from Mumbai on August 4, 2012 and thereafter, Geetika Sharma committed suicide, cannot be ruled out. 

The court observed that “Any sane and prudent person would not socialise or take benefits or favours from the very person, who creates stress and tension in his or her life. The act of the accused, Gopal Kanda, in appointing deceased Geetika Sharma as director, the president of Sundale Educational Society, providing her with a BMW car, sponsoring her MBA course and taking her along with him to Singapore, can, by no stretch of imagination, be treated as an act of the accused, by which he wanted to create circumstances for deceased Geetika Sharma wherein she had no option but to commit suicide.”

The court asked Gopal Kanda to submit ₹1 lakh in personal bond and remain present if the police filed an appeal against his acquittal.

Updated: 25 Jul 2023, 05:43 PM IST