New Delhi [India], October 2 : The Delhi High Court recently dismissed the bail plea of Narender Meena, a former deputy jail superintendent, accused in the murder of Ankit Gujjar. Ankit was allegedly beaten to death in Tihar Jail in August 2021 for refusing to pay extortion money demanded by jail officials.
The High Court had earlier transferred the case to the CBI for investigation.
Narender Meena sought regular bail in the CBI case, registered on 10 September 2021, under sections related to murder and causing hurt. Justice Sudhir Kumar Jain rejected the bail application after reviewing the facts and submissions.
"Considering the nature and gravity of the offences, and the likelihood of the petitioner influencing witnesses or tampering with evidence, no grounds for bail are made out. Hence, the present bail application is dismissed," Justice Jain stated on 26 September.
The court also noted that Ankit Gujjar, an undertrial prisoner, died in judicial custody, with the post-mortem revealing multiple ante-mortem injuries on his body.
The trial court had observed that the petitioner attempted to influence witnesses, and the larger societal interest must take precedence over the accused's liberty. There was no evidence to suggest that any trial delay was caused by the CBI.
The case stems from an FIR registered on 9 August 2021 at Hari Nagar Police Station, following the murder of Ankit Gujjar, as ordered by the Tis Hazari Courts on a complaint filed by Geeta Devi, Ankit's mother.
It was alleged that on 3 August 2021, Narender Meena and other jail officials brutally assaulted Ankit Gujjar and denied him medical attention, leading to his death. The petitioner and other officials were allegedly harassing Gujjar to extort money from his relatives.
Ankit's family filed a petition in the High Court to transfer the investigation from Delhi Police to the CBI, which was granted on 8 September 2021. Subsequently, the CBI registered an FIR.
A charge sheet was filed against Meena on 1 July 2022, followed by a supplementary charge sheet on 13 September 2022 against six individuals, including Meena.
According to the CBI charge sheet, in June 2021, Meena had demanded Rs. 5 lakh from Ankit Gujjar to allow him the use of a mobile phone. The deal was settled at Rs. 2.25 lakh, of which Rs. 2 lakh was paid. Ankit later refused to pay the remaining Rs. 25,000, leading to increased harassment by Meena and two other inmates, Gurjeet alias Bobby and Gurpreet alias Badal.