HC SEEKS RECORD FROM CBI ON SUSPENDED JUDGE’S BAIL PLEA

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana high court on Monday asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to produce case record of alleged dowry death of Geetanjali Garg, wife of a suspended Haryana judicial officer.

Hearing the bail plea of Ravneet Garg, suspended civil judge senior division, accused in the case, the HC bench of justice Raj Mohan Singh asked the CBI to produce record pertaining to the case on February 23.

Garg has sought bail arguing that it was a murder case not a dowry death. The court was also told that challan has already been presented by the CBI before the CBI special court, Panchkula. Hence, he be given bail.

The CBI maintained that it was a dowry death case. CBI counsel Sumeet Goel, while opposing the bail plea, asked why the petitioner did not lodge a complaint with the police after his wife was found dead. During the hearing, the bench also raised questions on this aspect and asked the petitioner’s lawyer why Garg did not lodge a complaint after the death of Geetanjali.

Geetanjali was found dead in a park at police lines in Gurgaon on July 17, 2013, with a licensed revolver of the judge lying close to her body. Ravneet Garg was then CJM Gurgaon. He has been in jail since September 7, 2016. His application for regular bail was rejected by the trial court on January 25. HTC