Court discharges Kala Jatheri in attempt to murder case
Dwarka District Court discharges Sandeep alias Kala Jatheri in a police firing case due to lack of independent evidence against him.
The Dwarka District Court has discharged Sandeep, also known as Kala Jatheri, in a high-profile attempt to murder case involving a shooting incident directed at a police team. While Jatheri has been cleared of the charges, the court has proceeded against four other individuals involved in the same incident.
Lack of independent evidence leads to discharge
Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Ravinder Singh ordered the discharge of Sandeep alias Kala Jatheri on September 30, noting a significant lack of corroborating evidence. The court observed that the prosecution's case against Jatheri relied almost exclusively on the disclosure statements made by his co-accused.
In his ruling, the judge emphasized that mere statements from other accused individuals, without any physical recovery or independent corroboration, are insufficient to establish a prima facie case. The court highlighted several key deficiencies in the evidence against Jatheri:
- No physical evidence: No weapons or ammunition were recovered from his possession.
- No direct involvement: No specific overt act at the crime scene was attributed to him.
- No digital trail: There was no electronic evidence, call detail records (CDR), or intercepted communications to link him to the crime or a conspiracy.
- No witnesses: No independent witnesses were placed on record to connect him to the incident.
The prosecution had alleged that Jatheri acted as a gang leader who instructed others to carry out the attack, but the court found these claims unsupported by admissible material.
Charges framed against four others
While Jatheri walked free, the legal proceedings continue for four other individuals. The court found sufficient material to frame charges against them for various offences, including attempt to murder, assault on a police officer, and violations of the Arms Act.
The individuals facing charges include:
- Vicky (alias Vira or Mota) and Narender (alias Banta): Charged under Sections 186, 353, 307, and 34 of the IPC, along with Sections 25/27 of the Arms Act.
- Manpreet Golu: Charged under Section 25 of the Arms Act.
- Krishan: Charged under Section 25 of the Arms Act.
The August 2023 shooting incident
The case stems from an incident that occurred in the Bamnoli area on August 5, 2023. According to the police, around 12:25 AM, officers spotted two individuals on a motorcycle approaching a barricading point. When signaled to stop, the riders allegedly attempted to flee, leading to a confrontation.
The Delhi Police Crime Branch reported that the pillion rider opened fire on SI Sachin Gulia with the intent to kill. The officer returned fire in self-defence. During the struggle, the rider also attempted to fire at Constable Dheeraj, but the pistol misfired. Constable Dheeraj subsequently fired a round in self-defence. The two suspects, identified as Vicky and Narender, were apprehended at the scene, and two pistols along with live cartridges were recovered from them.