Explained: The 2012 air-hostess suicide case in which ex-Haryana minister Gopal Kanda has been acquitted

Former Haryana minister Gopal Goyal Kanda was acquitted on Tuesday by Delhi’s Rouse Avenue court in a case of abetment of suicide of air hostess Geetika Sharma. Aruna Chadha, a co-accused in the case, was also cleared by Special Judge Vikas Dhull after he ruled that the prosecution had not proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt. Kanda told reporters outside of the court following his acquittal that “there was no evidence against him, this case was made against him, and today the court has given its verdict.” The case Gopal Kanda was detained in 2012 for allegedly abetting Geetika Sharma’s suicide, a worker at his aircraft company MDLR Airlines. She began her career as an air hostess and ultimately rose to the position of director at one of Kanda’s corporate offices in Gurgaon. Sharma committed suicide on 5 August 2012 by hanging herself from a fan in her father’s Ashok Vihar residence in northwest Delhi. Kanda, who was then managing director of the company and the then-minister of state for home affairs in the Haryana government, was accused of harassing her mentally. Sharma wrote a two-page suicide note in which she claimed Gopal Kanda and his HR manager named Aruna Chadha, who was detained on 8 August, had harassed her and that this was the reason she was taking her own life. On 16 February, six months after Geetika’s passing, her mother Anuradha Sharma allegedly killed herself as well, and Kanda was once more charged with abetment of suicide. In May 2013, Kanda and his alleged employee Chadha began their trial. A number of sections, including 306 (abetting suicide), 506 (criminal intimidation), 201 (destroying evidence), 120B (criminal conspiracy), and 466 (forgery), were among the allegations brought against the accused, according to India Today. In addition, Kanda was charged by the trial court with rape (376) and unnatural sex (377). However, the charges levelled under sections 376 and 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) were later dismissed by the Delhi High Court. The trial court issued a new order on December 6th for a trial of Kanda and Chadha for abetment to suicide. However, Kanda has maintained his innocence. Also read: Geetika suicide case: Key points of chargesheet against Kanda Gopal Kanda’s entry into politics According to The Indian Express, before entering politics, Kanda had tried his hands in small businesses like a radio repair, shoe store by acquiring the trust of dealers and businessmen, and even politicians. To achieve his political goals, he grew close to former state Chief Minister Bansi Lal of the Congress. Nevertheless, after Bansi Lal’s government crumbled, Kanda sided with the Chautalas (whose Indian National Lok Dal supported the NDA). His firm was able to grow thanks to his close ties with a top IAS officer from the Haryana cadre. He later moved his base from Sirsa to Gurgaon and began conducting real estate business. Kanda established MDLR Airlines, named after his father Murli Dhar Lakh Ram (a well-known attorney in Sirsa who had joined the RSS in 1926), in 2007. The company survived for two years – a period during which it only had one brief flight. Currently, Kanda is a representative of the Haryana Lokhit Party in the Haryana Legislative Assembly from the Sirsa constituency. He and his brother Govind Kanda launched the party in May 2014, which later in 2019 would aid the BJP in putting together a new state government. His rise to prominence When Congress leader Bhupinder Hooda ran for re-election as chief minister in 2009, Kanda initially tried to contest elections using INLD’s ticket, but he was denied. He later competed as a candidate from Sirsa and won a seat. Hooda had arranged for Kanda to be airlifted from Sirsa after Congress was unable to muster a majority. Kanda however did not settle for anything less than a ministerial position and obtained the Home Ministry, explained Indian Express. By this time, Gopal and his brother Govind had become close aids of the Chautala brothers and up until 2005, Gopal was seen as a crucial figure in the INLD campaign. However, things grew bitter when Chautalas stopped him from competing in their constituency. Kanda resigned from his position after being arrested in the Geetika Sharma suicide case. After he was granted bail in 2013, the Kanda brothers faced charges of illegally constructing a property in Sirsa. The case had been under investigation since 2009. Later in 2020, a Delhi court overturned a magistrate’s summons order calling Kanda and his aide Aruna Chadha by observing that there is “not even a single complaint or report regarding any threats extended by the petitioners” in the entire record file. According to ThePrint, Kanda’s name reappeared earlier this month when the list of 38 parties that make up the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) included his party, the Haryana Lokhit Party (HLP). The saffron party had released the list to the media prior to a meeting of NDA allies held in New Delhi on 18 July. However, Kanda and none of the other members of his party were not seen attending the meeting. When asked about their absence, Govind Kanda told ThePrint that while his party is a member of the NDA, he was unable to attend the conference due to some important work. A collection of Suicide prevention helpline numbers are available here . Please reach out if you or anyone you know is in need of support. The All-India helpline number is: 022-27546669 (With inputs from agencies)