- Geetika Sharma, an air hostess employed with Kanda-owned MDLR Airlines, died by suicide in August 2012 in Delhi.
- In her suicide note, she accused Gopal Goyal Kanda of alleged ‘mental harassment’.
- Gopal Goyal Kanda, the ex-Haryana minister and managing director of MDLR group, was acquitted by a Delhi court on July 25, 2023, on charges of abetment to suicide related to Geetika Sharma’s death.
- Co-accused Aruna Chadha was also acquitted in the case.
- Initially charged with rape and abetment to suicide, with the charge of unnatural sex added later, Kanda and Chadha went on trial in May 2013.
- The Delhi High Court set aside the charges of rape and unnatural sex in July of the same year.
- On December 6, 2013, the trial court ordered a fresh trial for Kanda and Chadha on the charge of abetment to suicide.
- Gopal Kanda, a member of the Haryana Legislative Assembly from Sirsa, founded the Haryana Lokhit Party in May 2014 along with his brother Govind Kanda.
- He started his journey in business with a radio repair shop and later ventured into the shoe business, eventually establishing a shoe factory.
- Kanda has had political ambitions and aligned himself with different political parties over the years.
- He has maintained his innocence in the case and emphasized that anyone can level accusations against anybody.
Kanda’s party backed the BJP after the 2019 State Assembly elections in Haryana.
Gopal Kanda’s rise
- In 2007, Gopal Goyal Kanda launched MDLR airlines, named after his father Murli Dhar Lakh Ram, who was a renowned advocate and RSS member.
- MDLR airlines had a short-lived operation and was grounded within two years of its launch.
- Kanda attempted to contest on INLD’s ticket but was not considered. He then ran as an independent candidate from Sirsa and won.
- In 2009, Bhupinder Hooda of the Congress party was seeking a second term as Chief Minister of Haryana. As Congress fell short of a majority, Hooda facilitated Kanda’s entry into politics from Sirsa and, as a hard bargainer, Kanda secured a ministerial berth with the Home portfolio.
- Gopal and his brother Govind Kanda were close aides of the Chautala brothers, particularly Abhay Chautala of the INLD until 2005. However, their relationship strained when Chautalas denied Kanda’s request to contest in Sirsa.
- While serving as the Home Minister in the Haryana government, Kanda was arrested in connection with the Geetika Sharma case and subsequently stepped down from his post.
- In 2013, the Delhi High Court dropped sexual exploitation charges against Kanda, and he was released on bail.
- In 2016, the Kanda brothers faced charges of illegal development of a property in Sirsa, a case that had been under investigation since 2009.
Decision
· In 2020, a Delhi court set aside a magistrate’s order summoning Gopal Goyal Kanda and his aide Aruna Chadha.
· The court’s decision was based on its observation that there was “not even a single complaint or report regarding any threats extended by the petitioners” in the entire record file.
· This implies that there was no evidence or documentation to support the allegation of threats made by Kanda and Chadha.
· As a result of this decision, the summoning of Kanda and Chadha was invalidated, and they were relieved from facing further legal action in relation to the alleged threats.
What Happened ?
- Geetika Sharma, an air hostess, died by suicide at her residence in Northwest Delhi in August 2012.
- Sharma had previously worked with Gopal Kanda’s MDLR Airlines but had left the job. In her two-page suicide note, she alleged harassment by Kanda and his associate Aruna Chadha.
- Kanda and Chadha were booked for abetment of suicide, forgery, criminal intimidation, criminal conspiracy, and destruction of evidence.
- Kanda surrendered to the police a week after the incident, while Chadha was arrested in Delhi.
- Kanda was a prominent minister in the Haryana government and the MLA from Sirsa at the time of the incident.
- Further investigation led to Kanda also being booked on charges of rape, which were dropped by the Delhi High Court in 2014.
- Sharma’s mother, six months after her daughter’s death, also allegedly died by suicide in the same room, leaving a suicide note mentioning “pressure” from Kanda and his associates.
- The trial in the case began in May 2013, and the charges were framed soon after. Several witnesses, including investigators and doctors who conducted the autopsy, provided statements.
- In 2014, Kanda was granted bail with certain conditions, prompting Sharma’s family to file pleas seeking cancellation of the bail order, fearing evidence tampering and influence on the investigation.
- The Delhi Police mentioned in its charge sheet that Kanda was “obsessed” with the victim even after she left his company and put “pressure” on her to return and called her multiple times.
- Kanda was forced to resign as the Minister of State for Home in Haryana, but during his bail plea in 2014, his counsel argued that he was an MLA from Sirsa and needed to attend the Assembly session for constituency development. The court granted relief to Kanda citing “special circumstances” to look after the development of Sirsa.