Thaindian News

New Delhi, Aug 21 (IANS) A Delhi court here Tuesday rejected a fresh application by the police seeking the custody of Aruna Chaddha, an accused in former flight attendant Geetika Sharma’s suicide case.

Chaddha will remain in judicial custody.

Metropolitan Magistrate Devender Kumar Jangala rejected the police plea for the second time in two days.

Police had sought the custody of Chaddha, an official of the now-defunct MDLR Airlines where Geetika was employed, to bring her face-to-face with co-accused Gopal Goyal Kanda, her employer and Haryana’s former minister.

Police told the court that Chaddha was misleading the investigators.

She claimed that she joined Kanda’s group in 2006 but documents showed that she was appointed in 2004 as general manager, police said.

Police told the court that a warrant purportedly issued in Dubai was sent to Geetika through an email identity created by Shivroop. It was forwarded by Chaddha.

Chaddha’s counsel opposed the police plea saying that her custody could not be handed to them for confronting her with Kanda, who is in police custody.

She was arrested Aug 8 and remained in police custody till Aug 16. She was later sent to judicial custody.

Police moved an application seeking Chaddha’s custody Monday as well. That plea was also rejected by the court.

The investigators said they wanted to interrogate her in connection with two computer hard disks recovered after Kanda’s arrest Aug 18.

Geetika, 23, accused Kanda and Chaddha, of harassing her and forcing her to commit suicide. She died on the night of Aug 4-5 at her house in north Delhi’s Ashok Vihar. Both Kanda and Chaddha have denied the allegations.

Charges of criminal intimidation and abatement to suicide were slapped on Kanda and Chaddha over the suicide.

Kanda owned the MDLR Airlines where Geetika worked as a flight attendant. After the airlines ceased to function in 2009, she was given a job in another company owned by him.

According to Geetika’s brother, his sister was being constantly mentally harassed by Kanda and Chaddha.

Kanda resigned from the Haryana ministry after Geetika’s suicide.