Nido Tania murder case: Court takes cognizance of charge sheet

A Delhi court today took cognizance of the charge sheet filed against seven accused in the Nido Tania murder case and asked the agency to provide copies of the final report to the four adult accused on the next date of hearing.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Pritam Singh directed the CBI to supply the copies of the charge sheet and other documents annexed with it to the four adult accused on May 7 in connection with the death of 19-year-old Arunachal Pradesh student Nido Tania.

The matter against the three juveniles will be sent to the Juvenile Justice Board.

CBI has dropped murder charges on the accused allegedly involved in the death of Tania, son of an Arunachal Pradesh MLA, on the ground that his killing was not premeditated but a result of altercation over breaking of glass counter.

The charge sheet was filed by the CBI yesterday against seven people, including three juveniles, in the case.

CBI has filed the charge sheet for the offences of culpable homicide, illegal confinement under the IPC and the provisions of the SC/ST Atrocities Act against Farman, Pawan, Sunder Singh and Sunny Uppal, who are currently in judicial custody.

Earlier, the accused were booked for the offence of murder by the Delhi Police but the CBI dropped the murder charge in its charge sheet.

The case was transferred to CBI from Delhi Police for further investigation after the victim's parents had met Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, demanding speedy justice for Tania.

They had alleged police negligence in the case and also demanded action against the guilty personnel.

The accused were apprehended after relatives of Tania, a BA first year student in a private university, alleged that he had an altercation with some shopkeepers at Lajpat Nagar market here on January 29 after they made fun of his hair style.

Following the altercation, the shopkeepers had allegedly thrashed him. He was brought dead to AIIMS the next day.

The death of Tania, son of a Congress MLA, evoked angry reactions from people of the northeast living in the national capital who alleged police had failed to protect him.

Police had booked the four adult accused under Section 302 (murder) of IPC after the postmortem report showed Tania died due to injuries to his head and face caused by a blunt object.

Initially, police had on February 3 arrested three of the accused under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST) (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.

On February 10, police arrested Sunny and slapped murder charge against all the four accused. Two minors, who also allegedly assaulted Tania, are facing an inquiry before the Juvenile Justice Board here.