Gopal Kanda moves court for anticipatory bail

Former Haryana Minister Gopal Kanda, embroiled in airhostess Geetika Sharma's suicide case, today moved a court here seeking anticipatory bail.

Fearing arrest, Kanda moved a District and Sessions court in Rohini court complex seeking anticipatory bail after his aide Aruna Chadha was arrested by the police.

The application will come up for hearing tomorrow.

Kanda’s counsel, senior advocate Ramesh Gupta, said one of the grounds for seeking anticipatory bail is that the FIR registered in the case does not disclose the commission of offence under section 306 IPC pertaining to abetment of suicide.

He also said "it is only under media pressure that the police are acting in the way they are."

Geetika Sharma (23), a former air hostess with Kanda's now defunct MDLR airline, alleged in her suicide note that she was ending her life due to harassment by Kanda and MDLR official Aruna Chaddha. Kanda and Chaddha had denied the allegations.

Geetika was found hanging in her flat in north west Delhi on August 5.

Kanda, an Independent MLA who held Home, Urban Bodies and Industry and Commerce portfolios, resigned the following day.

Earlier report:

Controversial former Haryana minister Gopal Kanda, accused of abetting the suicide of a former woman employee, today went "absconding" as police arrested another woman official of the now-defunct MDLR airline in the case.

The official Aruna Chaddha was taken to custody after questioning by police which had called her for joining the probe while Kanda ignored police summons to him to appear before them after rejection of his request for more time made through his counsel.

"We have arrested Aruna Chaddha. We have charged her with abetment to suicide and criminal conspiracy," P Karunakaran, Deputy Commissioner of Police (North-West), told PTI.

Geetika Sharma (23), a former air hostess with Kanda's MDLR airline, alleged in her suicide note that she was ending her life due to harassment by Kanda and MDLR official Chaddha.

Kanda and Chaddha had denied the allegations.

A senior police official said there was not much clarity in the statements made by Chaddha during questioning.

Kanda did not appear before police for questioning in the suicide case of a former airhostess with police saying he is "absconding" and threatened to initiate proceedings to obtain non-bailable warrant against him.

Kanda, who was served with a notice to appear before investigators today, sent his lawyers to Bharat police station seeking "two-three days" time to appear before them but it was not granted, a senior police official said.

Karunakaran said Kanda has not appeared before them. "He is absconding. We will obtain a non-bailable warrant against him if he does not appear before us.

"We have sent the teams to Kanda's residence because he was not joining the investigation," he said, adding already ten people have been questioned.

Chaddha's arrest came after she appeared for questioning during the day while MDLR legal officer Ankit Alhuwalia was quizzed yesterday. "Around ten people have been questioned so far," Karunakaran said.

Investigators also questioned Mandeep, an employee of Kanda, in connection with the case after it came to light that the SIM cards used to call Geetika allegedly by Kanda were bought in his name.

"Mandeep was not detained. He just gave information. He is now a witness. We have obtained some documents from MDLR.

We have not got the post mortem report," Karunakaran said.

Police had yesterday slapped a fresh charge of criminal intimidation against Kanda.

Geetika's family demanded a CBI inquiry into the case and wanted the former minister to be arrested soon.

Police raided five premises in Gurgaon - Kanda's farm house at Guragaon-Faridabad road, Park Plaza hotel at posh Sushant Lok, a mall at sector 57, MDLR office at sector 15 and his house at Civil Lines.