Thaindian News

New Delhi, Aug 30 (IANS) Even as he is fighting off charges of involvement in the suicide of ex-employee Geetika Sharma, former Haryana minister Gopal Goyal Kanda could be booked as a proclaimed offender in a 14-year-old cheque bounce case.

Kanda, the key accused in the suicide of Sharma, who was employed in his now-defunct MDLR Airlines, and his brother Govind faced summons and then warrants by the Delhi court ever since the 1998 case when a Rs.4 lakh cheque issued by Kanda had bounced. But the two failed to appear before it.

But, finally in May this year, the court declared both of the brothers proclaimed offenders for not heeding its repeated summons and warrants to appear before it.

On Aug 18, Govind was arrested for helping Kanda escape police in the suicide case.

On the same day, the court of Metropolitan Magistrate (Saket court) Vikrant Vaid, while granting bail to Govind in the cheque bounce case, also asked police to file a reply on the steps taken against Kanda for ignoring the court’s order of appearing before it despite various summons.

The court asked the police to give its reply on Aug 27.

Although, the case of bounced cheque was sorted out between the two parties Aug 27, police failed to give their reply why no action was taken against Kanda for ignoring court’s summons.

The court then issued a fresh notice to police asking it why it failed to reply to its notice.

“The police is under legal obligation to register a First Information Report (FIR) in such a case and investigate it,” the court had said.

The police reply comes up for hearing on Friday.

It is likely that the court may ask police to file a fresh case against Kanda of a proclaimed offender, sources told IANS.

If Kanda is convicted under section 174 A (proclaimed offender) of the Indian Penal Code, he could get maximum punishment of three years.

(Amiya Kumar Kushwaha can be contacted at amiya.k@ians.in)