The Bombay High Court on Tuesday awarded a life sentence to former Mumbai police officer Pradeep Sharma in the case related to the fake encounter killing of an alleged member of convicted gangster Chhota Rajan in 2006.
The court also upheld the life sentence to 13 others, 12 of whom are police personnel (Dilip Palande, Nitin Sartape, Ganesh Harpude, Anand Patade, Prakash Kadam, Devidas Sakpal, Pandurang Kokam, Ratnakar Kamble, Sandeep Sardar, Tanaji Desai, Pradeep Suryavanshi and Vinayak Shinde) and one a civilian (Hitesh Solanki).
Lakhan Baiya alias Ramnarayan Gupta was killed on November 11, 2006 at Nana Nani Park in Versova in northwestern Mumbai.
Pradeep Sharma, who was popularly known as ‘encounter specialist’, had allegations of kidnapping Mr. Gupta and his friend Anil Bheda from their home in Vashi, Navi Mumbai, and shooting Mr. Gupta and staging the whole crime as an encounter scene. Later, Bheda was also found dead.
The Division Bench of Justice Revati Mohite Dere and Justice Gauri Godse termed the decision by a lower court acquitting Sharma ‘perverse’ and ‘unsustainable’. They said that the charges of wrongful confinement, criminal abduction and fake encounter had been proven to be true. “It is a matter of shame that Anil Bheda’s murderers were not booked. The prime witness in the case lost his life to a gruesome murder. It is travesty of justice for his family,” said the court. The court also dismissed appeals by the 13 accused in the case.
A magisterial enquiry had been ordered on February 2008 after the victim’s brother and advocate Ramprasad Gupta filed a petition in the high court.
In September 2009, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed by the court and IPS officer K.M.M. Prasanna, the then Deputy Commissioner of Police, was appointed to investigate the case.
In April 2010, the SIT filed a chargesheet against 22 accused in the case. It said that a real estate agent Janardhan Bhange had given a murder contract to former police officers Sharma and Suryavanshi against Mr. Gupta over a joint property transaction. This led to the planning to stage an encounter against Mr. Gupta.
On March 13, 2011, ahead of his testimony before the court, Mr. Bheda, the prime witness in the case, went missing from his residence in Vashi. Four days later, his decomposed and burnt body was found from Manor, Thane.
A Sessions Court awarded life sentence to 21 accused but acquitted Sharma. Inspectors Pradeep Suryavanshi and Dilip Palande and constable Tanaji Desai were convicted of murder whereas 18 accused policemen were convicted after charges of abetment.
