NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Saturday sentenced BJP Bihar MLA Raju Kumar Singh to four years' imprisonment in a celebratory firing case in 2018 inside a farmhouse in South Delhi that led to the death of Archana Gupta.
The court also directed him to pay compensation of Rs 25 lakh to the husband of the deceased and imposed a two-month jail term under the Arms Act. The court of Special Judge Vishal Gogne further ordered that Singh shall undergo an additional three months of imprisonment if the compensation amount is not paid within the stipulated time.
Singh (56) was convicted under section 304 part II (culpable homicide not amounting to murder with knowledge) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and under provisions of the Arms Act relating to contravention of licence conditions.
Earlier on Friday, Singh had urged the court to release him on probation, arguing that he had no intention to cause death and had an otherwise unblemished record as a public representative.
The case pertains to a celebratory firing at a New Year party at a farmhouse in Fatehpur Beri here, which resulted in the death of a woman.
In a 97-page order, the court had on June 6 said, "The acts of celebratory firing during festivities are a scourge which often cause fatalities in our country. The present case reflects a similar tragedy where alleged acts of reckless celebratory firing by accused 1 (Raju Kumar Singh), a multiple-term MLA from Bihar, caused the death of a guest in a New Year's party on the intervening night of December 31, 2018, and January 1, 2019."
Noting the evidence before it, the court had said it was established that Singh, who had been identified by multiple witnesses, fired the fatal bullet which caused the death of the victim, Archana Gupta.
(With inputs from PTI)