Geetanjali murder: HC grants bail to husband
Geetanjali’s father, brother turn hostile; CBI chargesheet mentions dowry death, cruelty to woman and criminal conspiracy
CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana high court on Friday granted bail to suspended Haryana judge Ravneet Garg, in the murder case of his wife, Geetanjali.
The high court bench of justice AB Chaudhari granted the bail after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) informed the court that both the father and son have turned hostile before the trial court.
The CBI took over the case in 2013 after Geetanjali’s father Om Prakash Aggarwal, urged the then Haryana chief minister, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, to ensure an independent inquiry.
Garg had approached the high court on May 29, 2018, arguing that since the chargesheet has been filed, he be released on bail. Garg, a civil judge (senior division) at Kaithal, was arrested on September 7, 2017 and is in judicial custody in the Ambala jail.
He was suspended by the Punjab and Haryana high court on September 20, 2017. He was posted as the chief judicial magistrate in Gurgaon at the time of murder. Detailed order is awaited.
The CBI had filed a chargesheet for dowry death, cruelty to woman and criminal conspiracy against Garg. The judge was also booked under the Arms Act.
According to the CBI, Garg took ₹51 lakh in cash, 101 gold coins, household items and a Skoda Laura car worth ₹16 lakh as dowry when the two were married in 2007.
In 2008, the judge also took a Skoda Superb car worth ₹21.6 lakh when his younger brother got married. The chargesheet says that Garg also used to demand money from his in-laws through his wife to meet his dayto-day expenses and Geetanjali was also harassed for seeking money from her parents to pay for the admission of their two daughters.
However now, Geetanjali’s father as well as brother Pradeep Aggarwal have turned hostile. Geetanjali’s brother turned hostile on July 6, 2018 stating that Garg did not maltreat her.
The trial is underway at a special CBI court in Panchkula.
THE CBI TOOK OVER THE CASE IN 2013 AFTER GEETANJALI’S FATHER SOUGHT INDEPENDENT INQUIRY FROM THEN CM