Delhi court awards four-year sentence to BJP MLA in 2018 firing death

A Delhi court sentenced Bihar BJP MLA Raju Kumar Singh to four years' imprisonment for culpable homicide in the 2018 celebratory firing death of architect Archana Gupta. The court also imposed compensation of ₹25 lakh and a separate Arms Act sentence

New Delhi: A Delhi court on Saturday sentenced Bihar BJP MLA Raju Kumar Singh to four years’ imprisonment after convicting him for culpable homicide not amounting to murder in connection with the death of a woman during celebratory firing at a New Year’s Eve party in the national capital in 2018.

The Rouse Avenue Court also sentenced Singh to two months’ imprisonment under the Arms Act and directed him to pay Rs 25 lakh as compensation to the victim’s family. The court further ordered that if Singh fails to pay the compensation amount, he will have to undergo an additional three months’ imprisonment.

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It also directed that all the sentences awarded to Singh would run consecutively. With a sentence of more than two years, Singh risks losing his Bihar Assembly seat under the Representation of the People Act unless the Delhi High Court grants a stay on conviction.

On Friday, the Rouse Avenue Court had reserved its order on the quantum of sentence after hearing submissions from both sides and considering the report submitted by the Probation Officer.

Earlier, the court had sought a report from the Probation Officer before deciding the quantum of sentence. During the sentencing hearing, the Probation Officer informed the court that Singh is also facing a murder case in Bihar, in which he has been granted bail by the Patna High Court.

Seeking leniency, the defence had argued that although several criminal cases had been registered against the legislator, he had never been convicted in any of them and that most of the cases were politically motivated or had ended in acquittal or without a chargesheet.

The defence had also submitted that Singh is a six-time MLA and that a sentence exceeding two years would result in his disqualification from the legislature. It urged the court to grant him an opportunity for reformation, highlighting his long political career and family background in public life.

It was further argued that the deceased was like a sister-in-law to Singh’s family, that his wife was present on the dance floor when the incident occurred, and that the incident was a personal tragedy for the family.

The defence had also submitted that Singh had already spent about two months in custody, had not attempted to influence the victim’s family during the trial, and expressed regret over the incident while seeking the minimum sentence.

Last month, the Rouse Avenue Court convicted Singh under Section 304 Part II of the Indian Penal Code and Section 30 of the Arms Act, holding that his act of firing from a licensed pistol at a crowded gathering was done with the knowledge that it was likely to cause death.

The case relates to an incident on the night of December 31, 2018, when a New Year celebration was being held at a farmhouse in Delhi’s Vasant Kunj area. During the event, a bullet allegedly fired during celebratory gunfire struck architect Dr Archana Gupta, who later succumbed to her injuries during treatment.

An FIR was subsequently registered at the Fatehpur Beri police station, following which Delhi Police arrested Singh and others during the investigation. While convicting Singh, the court acquitted his wife, Renu Singh, and two other co-accused — Rana Rajesh Singh and Ramendra Singh — extending them the benefit of doubt.