Shot judge’s wife, son accidentally, claims constable

GURUGRAM: Mahipal Singh, the 32-year-old former head constable accused of killing the wife and son of an additional sessions judge, claimed innocence before a local court on Monday. Mahipal claimed that bullets were accidentally fired from his service revolver and he had no intention to kill them, counsel for the judge said.

Mahipal had been deployed as a personal security officer (PSO) of the judge, Krishan Kant, since April 2017. He was arrested by the police about two hours after the shooting that took place near Arcadia Market in Sector 49 on October 13 last year, and has been lodged in Bhondsi Jail since.

The police said the trial in the case began on February 1 this year and the statements of 68 witnesses out of 81 listed in the charge sheet have been recorded. The final argument in the case is expected to start in January next year.

Vishal Gupta, counsel for Kant, said that Mahipal claimed to be innocent while recording his statement before the court. “The trial in the case is concluded and is fixed for final arguments in January next year,” he said.

Mahipal’s counsel, Prem Shankar Sharma, had filed a petition in the Supreme Court in February this year seeking a transfer of the case to Delhi for “fair and natural justice”, which was dismissed by the apex court.

Public prosecutor Anurag Hooda said that in the final investigation report submitted before the court on December 26 last year, the police had listed 81 witnesses, including doctors from Paras Hospital where the injured were first taken, doctors from Medanta Hospital where the victims died, forensic experts and police personnel associated with the investigation.

The police have also submitted the incident’s video clips, which were widely circulated on social media soon after the incident. In multiple clips, Mahipal was purportedly seen trying to put an unconscious boy in the rear seat of the judge’s car. After failing twice to do so, he gave up and with a gun in hand, drove away.

A special investigation team (SIT) had submitted its charge sheet before the court of district and session judge RK Sondhi on December 26 and charges were framed by the court on January 9 against Mahipal under sections 302 and 201 of Indian Penal Code and Section 27 of Arms Act.