look news india
Mumbai: The Supreme Court has granted bail to former policeman Pradeep Sharma, who was found guilty in the 2006 Lakhanbhaiya alleged fake encounter case. Mrs. Hrishikesh Roy and Justice. Prashant Mishra's bench gave this order. Despite no opposition from the government side, bail was ordered.
Sharma has been directed to surrender in the sessions court within a week and apply for bail. The Bombay High Court found Sharma guilty on 19 March and sentenced him to life imprisonment, which he appealed.
This case pertains to the encounter in which Ram Narayan Gupta alias Lakhan Bhaiya, an alleged member of Chhota Rajan gang, was killed. Gupta and his friend were picked up from a Mumbai suburb on 11 November 2006 and Gupta was killed in a fake encounter the same day.
A case was registered in 2009 when the Special Investigation Team discovered that a rival gang had paid Gupta to kill him. The SIT was formed based on the High Court's direction to register the FIR. After a five-year trial, the Sessions Court acquitted Sharma in July 2013, but convicted 21, including 13 policemen. Three policemen were charged with murder while 18 policemen were charged with abetment of crime.
The state government challenged the order in the High Court, while police officials also appealed against the sentence. After hearing the arguments of the field, the High Court upheld the order convicting 12 policemen and a civilian, Hitesh Solanki. Sharma appealed to the Supreme Court after the High Court quashed the order granting immunity to Sharma.
The Supreme Court exempted Sharma from appearing before the authority till further orders. The court granted bail to Sharma today.
Sharma is also currently on bail in the Antilia blasts case and the related Mansukh Hiren 2021 murder case.