NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court has granted bail to Hitesh Pratap Singh Chauhan, an accused in the abduction and murder of a man in Greater Kailash in November 2019, over a property dispute.
Chauhan had been in custody since December 2019 and was released on regular bail on October 14 by Justice Anish Dayal, who cited Chauhan’s long period of incarceration, good conduct, and the ongoing trial, which hasn’t reached the final arguments stage.
“In light of the above, and considering that the trial is likely to take considerable time, it would not be prudent to keep the petitioner behind bars indefinitely,” stated Justice Dayal in his order.
Chauhan was released on a personal bond of Rs 50,000 with a surety of an equal amount. The incident dates back to November 15, 2019, when Arun Kumar Sharma, the victim, went missing after leaving home for a court hearing in Gurugram.
The police launched an investigation following a complaint from Sharma’s sister, Shashi Kiran, and an FIR was filed under Section 365 of the Indian Penal Code. CCTV footage gathered later revealed two suspects and a white Mahindra Scorpio with a fake registration number, which led authorities to Chauhan and his co-accused, Rishi Raj Pal Singh Chauhan.
According to the prosecution, the accused allegedly conspired with three other persons to kidnap and kill Arun Sharma due to a longstanding property dispute that had escalated to the Supreme Court. In September 2019, the SC ruled in Sharma’s favour, adding further tension to the conflict.
Recently, a Delhi court, too, granted bail to a murder accused over ‘prolonged trial process.’ Narendra Mann, who was an accused in 2018 murder case, had been in custody for over six years.