Basant,Sarita guilty of Inspector Sucha Singh murder

The court decided the case in a total of 12 hearings.

The chargesheet against the duo was filed on August 24 and the case was committed to District and Sessions Court on September 3. Charges were framed against Basant and Sarita on September 17.

The case which was fast-tracked has been decided in around three months after the chargesheet was filed. Basant and Sarita got their defence counsel from the legal aid department who was changed later.

Both the accused have been held guilty of murder,attempt to murder and under various sections of the IPC. They were charged under Section 333 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt to deter public servant from his duty),Section 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty),Section 397 (robbery or dacoity,with attempt to cause death or grievous hurt) read with Section 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the IPC and Section 25 of the Arms Act.

On the run after murdering the husband and mother-in-law of his paramour two days after her marriage,dismissed Chandigarh Police constable Basant had murdered Inspector Sucha Singh and injured a Chandigarh Police constable on June 8.

Inspector Sucha Singh,who was stabbed 12 times by Basant,died at the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research,Chandigarh,on June 8. Basant along with Sarita had escaped in a police vehicle.

Basant and Sarita were spotted by Inspector Sucha Singh and constable Jitender who were patrolling outside the Sector 17 bus stand at 2.15 am on June 8. The patrolling party did not know the identity of the couple. Basant had initially lied that Sarita was his sister. Unconvinced,the Inspector asked them to accompany to Sector 17 police station.

On reaching the police station,Basant revealed that they were married and the identification papers were in their luggage lying at the bus stand. The Inspector and the constable took them back to the bus stand. As soon as they reached the gate of the bus stand,Basant took out a knife and asked the Inspector to let them go. When confronted,Basant stabbed the Inspector several times. He stabbed the constable too before driving away in the police vehicle. He was arrested from a hotel in Paharganj in Delhi on June 9.