Delhi High Court Denies Bail to Narender Meena in Ankit Gujjar Murder Case
The Delhi High Court has dismissed the bail plea of Narender Meena, a former deputy jail superintendent, accused of murdering Ankit Gujjar. Ankit was allegedly beaten to death in Tihar Jail in August 2021 for refusing to pay extortion money demanded by jail officials. The case was transferred to the CBI for investigation.
Details of the Case
Narender Meena sought regular bail in the CBI case, registered on 10 September 2021, under sections related to murder and causing hurt. Justice Sudhir Kumar Jain rejected the bail application, stating, “Considering the nature and gravity of the offences, and the likelihood of the petitioner influencing witnesses or tampering with evidence, no grounds for bail are made out. Hence, the present bail application is dismissed.”
The court noted that Ankit Gujjar, an undertrial prisoner, died in judicial custody, with the post-mortem revealing multiple ante-mortem injuries on his body. The trial court observed that the petitioner attempted to influence witnesses, and the larger societal interest must take precedence over the accused’s liberty. There was no evidence to suggest that any trial delay was caused by the CBI.
Background
The case stems from an FIR registered on 9 August 2021 at Hari Nagar Police Station, following the murder of Ankit Gujjar, as ordered by the Tis Hazari Courts on a complaint filed by Geeta Devi, Ankit’s mother. It was alleged that on 3 August 2021, Narender Meena and other jail officials brutally assaulted Ankit Gujjar and denied him medical attention, leading to his death. The petitioner and other officials were allegedly harassing Gujjar to extort money from his relatives.
Ankit’s family filed a petition in the High Court to transfer the investigation from Delhi Police to the CBI, which was granted on 8 September 2021. Subsequently, the CBI registered an FIR. A charge sheet was filed against Meena on 1 July 2022, followed by a supplementary charge sheet on 13 September 2022 against six individuals, including Meena.
Extortion Details
According to the CBI charge sheet, in June 2021, Meena had demanded Rs. 5 lakh from Ankit Gujjar to allow him the use of a mobile phone. The deal was settled at Rs. 2.25 lakh, of which Rs. 2 lakh was paid. Ankit later refused to pay the remaining Rs. 25,000, leading to increased harassment by Meena and two other inmates, Gurjeet alias Bobby and Gurpreet alias Badal.
Doubts Revealed
Delhi High Court -: The Delhi High Court is a big court in Delhi, India, where important legal cases are decided.
Bail -: Bail is when someone who is in jail is allowed to go home while they wait for their trial, but they have to promise to come back to court.
Narender Meena -: Narender Meena is a person who used to work as a deputy jail superintendent and is accused of being involved in a murder.
Ankit Gujjar -: Ankit Gujjar was a person who was in Tihar Jail and was allegedly killed there.
Tihar Jail -: Tihar Jail is a very large and famous jail in Delhi, India.
Extortion -: Extortion is when someone forces another person to give them money by threatening them.
CBI -: CBI stands for Central Bureau of Investigation, which is a special police force in India that handles very important cases.
Witness tampering -: Witness tampering is when someone tries to scare or influence people who are supposed to tell the truth in court.
