The Hindu : New Delhi News : “Lawyer gave me bullet head”

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Oct 28, 2007
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New Delhi

New Delhi

“Lawyer gave me bullet head”

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: Retired ballistic expert Roop Singh, who is facing proceedings for allegedly fabricating evidence to favour the accused in the infamous Connaught Place shooting case, on Saturday denied introducing the bullet head in the court during trial.

Appearing before Additional Sessions Judge Vinod Kumar, Roop Singh said it was one of the advocates who gave him the bullet head.

Replying to the notice issued under Section 344 (procedure for summary trial for giving false evidence) of the Criminal Procedure Code, Roop Singh said Vivek Singh, one of the advocates of prime accused S. S. Rathi, the dismissed Assistant Commissioner of Police, had given him the bullet head. It was then that he said the bullet head was of 7.65 mm calibre.

The accused policemen had claimed that the occupants of the car, stopped by them in Connaught Place, had fired at them from a pistol of 7.65 mm calibre first after which the police retaliated leading to the killing of two innocent businessmen, Pradeep Goel and Jagjit Singh, on March 31, 1997. However, investigations by the Central Bureau of Investigation had revealed that the gun allegedly used by the car’s occupants had not been used for a long time.

In its judgment, the court had said Roop Singh gave forensic reports that supported the theory forwarded by the accused. The Judge had also pointed out that Roop Singh claimed the bullet head of 7.65 mm was part of the packet containing evidence, though he was not sure whether the bullet head was picked from the floor of the courtroom or a table there.

Claim questioned

The court had questioned Roop Singh’s claim that an object picked up from the floor was part of the evidence. It had concluded that he had wilfully introduced that bullet head. On October 24, the day the 10 Delhi policemen including S. S. Rathi were sentenced to life, the court had asked Roop Singh to come up with his defence. The court had then refused to hand over the copy of the statement of Tarunpreet Singh, the man who had sustained bullet injuries in the incident, to Roop Singh saying it had no relevance.

The Judge on Saturday asked Roop Singh if he would like to question any witness for his defence. Roop Singh then requested the court to allow him to question CBI counsel Brij Bhushan and senior defence advocate K. K. Sood. The court has asked them to be present on October 31.

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