The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Prosecution produces Anjali Gupta's travel records

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jul 12, 2005

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Prosecution produces Anjali Gupta's travel records

Staff Reporter

She declined permission to her defending officer, Group Captain H.S. Mishra, to cross-examine the witness saying she had no faith in any Defence personnel

BANGALORE: The prosecution on Monday produced records showing that Flying Officer Anjali Gupta's flew to New Delhi by a service aircraft while she claimed to have travelled by train.

The records pertains to the second charge against Ms. Gupta that she falsely claimed that she proceeded on temporary duty to the Air Force headquarters in New Delhi by the Rajdhani Express.

Deposing before the jury trying Ms. Gupta on charges of insubordination and irregularity, Junior Warrant Officer K. Singh said it was he who asked Ms. Gupta to note down her service particulars in the Air Movement Cell logbook before she boarded the service aircraft on May 18, 2004. The logbook, he said, contains the list of persons travelling by the aircraft.

"Ms. Gupta wrote down her name at Serial No. 2. I filled in the rest of the details, including her identity card and the nature of her movement, after enquiring with her.

No person is allowed to travel by the service aircraft without giving their details," he said.

The aircraft left Bangalore at 5 p.m. The aircraft proceeded to Delhi via Hyderabad and Bhopal, he said.

He then produced the logbook before the court. When the time came for cross-examination, Ms. Gupta declined permission to her defending officer, Gp. Capt. H.S. Mishra, by reiterating her earlier statement that she had no faith in any Defence personnel.

The court gave her an hour's time for preparing questions for Junior Warrant Officer Singh.

But on her return, Ms. Gupta, instead of asking questions, came up with a submission asking for two days' time for preparing questions.

"I want to prepare questions for three witnesses in consultation with a legal professional who is not staying in Bangalore." She then sought one day, which was rejected by the presiding officer, Gp. Capt. V. Ganesh.

The prosecution then heard the evidence of Gp. Capt. Jaikumar, who had recorded the summary of evidence on the charges against Ms. Gupta. He said that Ms. Gupta was served four notices for attending the recording.

"Ms. Gupta, in response, came late once and failed to turn up three other times," he said.

The Prosecutor, Wg. Cdr. R.K. Dubey, said this evidence was necessary to show Ms. Gupta's history of insubordination.

The jury then adjourned the proceedings till Tuesday for cross-examination by Ms. Gupta.

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