Supreme Court Grants Bail To Tihar's Ex-Dy Superintendent In Murder Case Of Inmate In Judicial Custody

The Supreme Court on January 6 granted bail to former Deputy Superintendent of Tihar Jail, Narendra Meena, in connection with the allegations of death of under trial prisoner, a 29-year-old gangster Ankit Gujjar, in judicial custody.A bench of Justices M.M. Sundresh and Rajesh Bindal set aside the order of the Delhi High Court denying him bail. As per the facts, Gujjar was found dead inside Tihar Jail on August 4, 2021. It was alleged that Meena and other jail officials had brutally beaten Ankit Gujjar on August 03, 2021, and did not provide any medical attention to him, leading to his death in the jail premises. It was also alleged that the accused persons were harassing the deceased to extort money from his relatives.Four officials, including Meena, were suspended by the DGP in connection with the incident. Two assistant superintendents and one warden were suspended. Meena was chargsheeted under Sections 304 and 323 read with Section 34 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860.Meena approached the Delhi High Court seeking bail on grounds of delay in trial by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). On September 26, 2024, the Delhi High Court denied bail to Meena keeping in view the nature and gravity of the offences and the likelihood of him influencing the witnesses or tampering with the evidence.On a plea moved by Gujjar's mother, a coordinate bench of the Delhi High Court transferred the probe from Delhi Police to CBI.Justice Sudhir Kumar Jain of the High Court observed that there was nothing on record to show that the delay in trial, if any, was caused by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), to whom the probe was transferred by way of judicial order in September 2021. The High Court observed: "The post-mortem report reflects multiple ante mortem injuries on body of UTP Ankit Gujjar. The trial court in impugned order also observed that the petitioner tried to influence witnesses and larger interest of the society has to be given preference over the liberty of the accused."Case Details: NARENDER MEENA v CENTRAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION., Diary No. 45425-2024Appearances: Senior Advocate Gopal Shankaranarayanan, Sr. Adv., Advocates Gaurav Gupta, Deepanshu Choithan, Siddharth Dewalwar, Rajesh Kumar, and AOR Gaurav GoelClick Here To Read Order

Supreme Court Grants Bail To Tihar's Ex-Dy Superintendent In Murder Case Of Inmate In Judicial Custody

Gursimran Kaur Bakshi

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