NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court has refused to suspend the conviction of Bihar BJP MLA Raju Kumar Singh in a 2018 celebratory firing case that resulted in the death of woman Archana Gupta. Justice Manoj Jain said a “surface-level analysis” did not reveal any “manifest perversity” or “palpable error” in the trial court’s decision warranting a stay of conviction.
The court was hearing Singh’s plea challenging the trial court order convicting him for the offence.
The judge observed that Singh was allegedly under the influence of liquor, had used a firearm and indulged in celebratory firing despite knowing the consequences of such an act. The judge noted that Singh did not have “clean antecedents”, observing that several cases were pending or had involved him, though he had been acquitted in some.
The court dismissed his application seeking suspension of the conviction. Singh had been sentenced to four years’ imprisonment by the trial court for the death of Gupta at a New Year’s party at a farmhouse in Fatehpur Beri on the intervening night of December 31, 2018 and January 1, 2019. The trial court had also directed him to pay `25 lakh as compensation. Singh was convicted under Section 304 Part II of the IPC and Section 30 of the Arms Act for using a firearm in violation of licence conditions.
The High Court also criticised “gun culture”, observing that the country needed neither a “Singham” nor a “Pushpa” in a state governed by the rule of law. The court said the offence involved an element of moral turpitude and warranted no relief at present.
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