1997 CP killing convict's parole extended

The Delhi High Court Thursday extended, by four days, the parole granted to Delhi Police officer S.S. Rathi, serving a life term for killing two businessmen after mistaking them to be gangsters.

Justice Mukta Gupta extended the parole of Rathi after the court was informed that one of his family members had passed away.

Rathi was earlier granted parole in June to appear in examinations. He has been pursuing post-graduation (distance learning) course in forensic science from the Gobal Open University, Nagaland.

He is serving the jail term along with nine other policemen for the broad daylight killing of two businessmen, who were mistaken for gangsters and shot dead in Connaught Place here in 1997.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and police also submitted their status report in the case. The Supreme Court upheld the life term given to 10 Delhi policemen in 2012.

The apex court had said a Delhi Police team led by Rathi, then assistant commissioner of police, was guilty of "unprovoked, indiscriminate firing" on the businessmen - Pradeep Goel and Jagjit Singh - and later attempting to give it the colour of a gunfight by planting weapons on the victims.

The CBI accused Rathi and his team of being trigger happy Mar 31, 1997, and killing Goel and Singh in the lure of police medals and promotions without even bothering to verify a tip-off about the movement of gangster Mohammad Yasin and his henchman in the busy area.