High Court issues notice to Haryana on ex- CPS’ plea

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana high court on Thursday put the Haryana government on notice on an appeal of former chief parliamentary secretary (CPS) Ram Kishan Gujjar in a 2009 abetment to suicide case of a Naraingarh journalist.

Gujjar was sentenced to four-year rigorous imprisonment by an Ambala trial court for abetting journalist Pankaj Khanna to commit suicide.

The high court bench of justice Inderjit Singh refused to stay the trial court order of March 2, 2017, whereby Gujjar was directed to pay ₹5-lakh compensation to the deceased’s mother, Usha Rani, within a month.

Gujjar’s appeal has been admitted for hearing as per its turn.

THE CASE

Pankaj had committed suicide on June 10, 2009, by consuming sulphas tablets after leaving a suicide note holding Gujjar, two businessmen — Ajit and Vijay — responsible for forcing him to take the extreme step.

“I had supported Ram Kishan Gujjar during the elections but he was nursing a grudge against me as I started accommodating my maternal uncle, who is a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader,” Khanna had written in the suicide note.

He added, “The entire act was done at the behest of Ram Kishan, so they all be awarded a deterrent punishment, if there exists any law.”

The trail court in Ambala had sentenced the former chief parliamentary secretary, Ram Kishan Gujjar, and the two businessmen— Ajit and Vijay — to four-year imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹10,000 each on them.

They were also ordered to compensate the family with ₹5-lakh each.

RAM KISHAN GUJJAR WAS SENTENCED TO FOURYEAR RIGOROUS IMPRISONMENT BY AN AMBALA COURT FOR ABETMENT TO SUICIDE ON MARCH 2