The Aryavarth Express
Agency(Mumbai): In a significant ruling, the Bombay High Court has convicted former police officer Pradeep Sharma, sentencing him to life imprisonment for his role in the fabricated encounter killing of Ramnarayan Gupta, an individual purportedly associated with the underworld figure Chhota Rajan, back in 2006. This verdict comes after the court overturned a 2013 sessions court judgment that had previously acquitted Sharma, finding that decision to be flawed and inconsistent with the substantial evidence indicating Sharma’s involvement.
Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Gauri Godse, presiding over the division bench, criticized the sessions court’s original acquittal of Sharma as “perverse” and “unsustainable”, highlighting a disregard for the compelling evidence that clearly established his participation in the alleged crime. The bench has ordered Sharma to present himself to the relevant sessions court within a three-week window to commence his life sentence.
Moreover, the High Court has affirmed the trial court’s decision to convict and impose life sentences on 13 individuals, including police officers involved in the case, while simultaneously reversing the conviction and life sentences of six others, leading to their acquittal. Initially, a total of 22 persons, with 13 being policemen, faced charges in connection to the murder.
The 2013 sessions court ruling had acquitted Sharma citing insufficient evidence, while convicting 21 others and sentencing them to life imprisonment. Since then, two of the convicted individuals have died in custody. The appeal process saw both the accused challenging their convictions and the prosecution, alongside the victim’s brother Ramprasad Gupta, contesting Sharma’s earlier acquittal.
Special public prosecutor Rajiv Chavan emphasized the gravity of the case, pointing out that law enforcement officials, expected to uphold law and order, were instead implicated in orchestrating a premeditated murder. The prosecution labeled Sharma as the principal conspirator and leader of the operation, which culminated in Gupta’s abduction and subsequent killing in a staged encounter near Nana Nani Park in suburban Versova on the evening of November 11, 2006. This landmark judgment underscores the judicial system’s stance against misuse of power and extrajudicial killings, reaffirming the principle of accountability within law enforcement agencies.