Airhostess suicide case: Court reserves order on Chadha, police plea

The Delhi High Court Tuesday reserved its order on a plea of former Harayana minister Gopal Goyal Kanda's employee Aruna Chaddha against framing of fresh charges of abetment of rape and suicide against her in the former airhostess suicide case.

Justice G.P. Mittal reserved the order after counsel appearing for Chadha and police concluded their arguments.

The court also reserved its order on a plea of police for expunging the trial court's adverse remarks for not probing the sexual exploitation angle in the case.

Delhi Police had moved the high court objecting to the trial court's remark dubbing the probe as "tainted and stinking". The trial court made the remarks in its May 10 order on framing of charges.

Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Siddharth Luthra, appearing for Delhi Police, had sought the adverse observations be expunged, saying they were made without notice to investigators. He added that further investigation into the sexual exploitation aspect has not been stopped.

Chadha had moved the high court challenging the fresh charge of abetment of rape and suicide slapped against her by the trial cout on May 10.

Chadha and Kanda have been charged with rape, abetment of rape, abetment of suicide, criminal conspiracy, forgery under the Indian Penal Code and Information Technology Act for hacking computers and sending offensive or false messages.

The air hostess was found hanging from the ceiling fan of a room at her house in north Delhi Aug 5 last year.

She left behind two suicide notes blaming Kanda and Chadha, who are now in judicial custody, but have denied any involvement in the suicide.

In their charge sheet, police had said that Kanda was obsessed with the air hostess and he and Chadha had unleashed a series of wilful and malicious acts of mental torture, threat, blackmail and stress on her, which led her to take the extreme step.

Kanda was arrested Aug 18 last year after he surrendered at north Delhi's Ashok Vihar police, while Chadha was apprehended Aug 8. Police filed the charge sheet Oct 6.