Justice was delayed,but not denied,says victim’s wife

On March 1997,two businessmen — Pradeep Goel and Jagjit Singh — were killed in a fake encounter by a team of Delhi Police officers at Connaught Place. “What’s gone cannot come back,but I feel so pained by the entire episode. If my husband was under scrutiny,the police could have just arrested him or questioned him. Why was he killed,and that too so brutally?” Neema said.

Her son,who was not told about the incident when he was a child,also hailed the court verdict. Neema said that when he was finally told about the incident,he dealt with the situation in a mature way.

“It is the system in the country that is to be blamed,but one can’t help that. There were a lot of things that caused the delay,including transfer of judges. However,the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI),the investigating officer and the public prosecutor were very helpful. It was only because of the support I received from my in-laws as well as my own family that I was able to fight for my deceased husband for all these years,” Neema said.

She went on to add that the Delhi Police was not of much help,which was why the case was handed over to the CBI. “As many as 14 persons were actually involved in the incident,but the four were let off as they were drivers. After the judgment in 2007,the accused were able to come out on bail from time to time. However,with this order,they will go through a complete punishment and that makes me very happy,” she said.