HC refuses to stay conviction of EX-CPS Ram Kishan Gujjar

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana high court on Monday refused to stay conviction of former chief parliamentary secretary (CPS) Ram Kishan Gujjar in 2009 abetment to suicide case of a Naraingarh journalist.

Gujjar was sentenced to fouryear rigorous imprisonment by Ambala trial court in March 2017 for abetting journalist Pankaj Khanna to commit suicide. His appeal was admitted for hearing in October 2017 and sentence was suspended. Gujjar had moved court seeking suspension of conviction, now stating that he wanted to contest assembly polls.

“The court refused to suspend the conviction and said that it would decide his appeal. It has now ordered case for listing on September 12,” said Haryana additional advocate general Deepak Sabharwal.

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 BSP leader. The entire act was done at the behest of Ram Kishan, so they all be awarded a deterrent punishment, if there exists any law,” Khanna had written in the suicide note.

The Ambala district court had sentenced Gujjar and the two businessmen to four-year rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹10,000 each on them. They were also ordered to compensate the family with Rs 5-lakh each.

During the hearing on Monday, Gujjar’s counsel had argued that abetment of suicide case is not made out since there is only a suicide note and no other corroborative evidence. Sabharwal on the other hand had argued that Gujjar is named in the suicide note and staying the conviction is not a rule but an exception. His case is not the one where an exception can be made, he had submitted.

HE WAS SENTENCED TO FOUR-YEAR RIGOROUS IMPRISONMENT BY AMBALA TRIAL COURT IN MARCH 2017