New Delhi, Oct 6 (IANS) A formal set of charges against former Haryana minister Gopal Goyal Kanda, arrested over the suicide of his former employee Geetika Sharma, was filed in a court here by police who accused him of abeting suicide, destroying evidence, criminal intimidation and conspiracy.
The chargesheet, running into over 1,000 pages, was filed before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) D.K. Jangala. A supplementary chargesheet against one of Kanda's associate may be filed later.
Police have also booked Aruna Chaddha, former official of Kanda's now-defunct MDLR Airlines where Geetika had worked. Both Kanda and Chaddha are in judicial custody.
ACMM Jangala took cognisance of the chargesheet and posted the matter for Oct 9 for hearing.
"I take cognisance of the chargesheet," the judge said.
The police have slapped charges under Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 306 for abetment to suicide, section 471 for forgery, among others, and section 66 of the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000 (hacking with computer system/sending offensive messages).
The chargesheet, brought to court in steel trunks, cites 65 witnesses, including father, mother and brother of Geetika.
"The above facts (mentioned in chargesheet) disclose that the accused Kanda and Chaddha have committed offence under section 120-B criminal conspiracy read with 306 (abetment to suicide)/506 (punishment for criminal intimidation)/201 (destruction of evidence)/466 (forgery of record)/467 (forgery of valuable security)/468 (forgery for purpose of cheating)/469 (forgery for purpose of harming reputation)/471 (using as genuine a forged document or electronic record)/ 34 (criminal intimidation) IPC and 66 of IT Act," police said.
Police said that Geetika was undergoing a traumatic experience of going through an abortion for which accused Aruna Chadha had accompanied her. She was also facing false allegations of forgery, cheating and fraud when she was forced to resign from Emirates Airlines.
The investigators said that by sending forged and false emails, Kanda had created an atmosphere of suspicious and distrust around Geetika, in which she was not able to hold her head high and face her colleagues.
She resigned from the company of Kanda to save her dignity but Kanda again threatened her mother that he would create the same set of circumstances again.
"After hearing her mother that Kanda was threatening to register a false first information report (FIR) against her at Gurgoan, and was going to publicise this fact, which Geetika thought would jeopardise her future, she rightly feared that she would be viewed with suspicious and distrust by her colleagues, friends and future employers and became extremely distressed and depressed and, therefore, chose to end her life by hanging herself," police said.
Police also told court that investigation was on to ascertain the role of Kanda's associate Chanshivroop Singh. If needed a supplementary chargesheet would be filed against him.
Chanshivroop Singh was the man who went to Dubai and told Emirates Airlines that Geetika had got the job by using forged document.
Police said that Chanshivroop was working as assistant manager in MDLR Group in 2010. He was appointed for this post and sent to Dubai to ensure that Geetika lost her job there.
The investigators said some witnesses were yet to be examined and documents were still to be collected. The results of tests on electronic evidence were yet to be received from the forensic lab.
Geetika, 23, a former flight attendant of MDLR Airlines, had in her suicide note accused Kanda and Chaddha of harassing and forcing her to kill herself. She died on the night of Aug 4-5 at her house in Delhi's Ashok Vihar area. Kanda and Chaddha have denied the allegations.
