The Hindu : New Delhi News : Sentence likely today in CP shooting case

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 24, 2007
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New Delhi

New Delhi

Sentence likely today in CP shooting case

Staff Reporter

Forensic expert Roop Singh expected to file his reply to the notice issued to him

2 businessmen were killed in a shootout in 1997
Families ask for maximum punishment to convicts

NEW DELHI: The trial court which convicted ten policemen, including a dismissed Assistant Commissioner of Delhi Police, in the infamous Connaught Place shooting case here this past week, is likely to award the quantum of punishment on Wednesday.

Additional Sessions Judge Vinod Kumar had fixed October 24 as the date for announcing the quantum of punishment while convicting the accused on October 16.

On Wednesday, forensic expert Roop Singh, who was issued a notice under Section 344 (summary procedure for trial for giving false information) of the Criminal Procedure Code for fabricating evidence during the trial of the case, is also expected to file his reply to the notice.

The court had on October 16 asked Roop Singh to file his reply on October 22. However, Singh had sought two more days to file his report which the court allowed.

Singh had allegedly fabricated evidence about the cartridge allegedly recovered from inside the car and also given false reports supporting the theory of the accused policemen.

On March 31, 1997, a Delhi Police Crime Branch team led by ACP S.S. Rathi had killed two innocent businessmen – Pradeep Goel and Jagjit Singh -- in Connaught Place after mistaking them for alleged gangster Mohammad Yaseen.

The police had then claimed that there was firing from inside the car after which the police had retaliated and, in the process, the two businessmen were killed. However, their version was proved wrong in the court.

In its judgment, the court had concluded that the accused had planned to kill Yaseen but instead killed the businessmen as it was a case of mistaken identity. The court had held all the accused guilty of murder, attempt to murder, false evidence, fabrication and giving false information.

The families of the two businessmen had demanded that maximum punishment should be awarded to the convicts.

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