Charges framed in CP shootout case

NEW DELHI, September 18: The 10 police personnel accused in the Connaught Place shootout which left two businessmen dead last year today pleaded not guilty to the charges and requested a trial.

The additional sessions judge B.B. Chaudhary formally framed charges against the accused under Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder) and 193 (false evidence) read with Section 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Additional charges have been framed against ACP S S Rathi and Inspector Anil Kumar under Sections 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence), 203 (giving false information) and 211 (false charge of offence made with intent to injure).

Anil Kumar has also been slapped with charges under Section 193 for allegedly making “false entry in daily diary and … false report” at the Connaught Place police station. “It is also alleged that the accused, S S Rathi, filed a false information of the incident to higher police officers and they did so to show their innocence,” the judge added.

On March 31, 1997, the police shot two businessmen, Jagjit Singh and Pradeep Goyal in cold blood after mistaking them to be the dreaded UP-based gangsters Mohd Yaseen and an associate. Yaseen was wanted by the Delhi Police for various kidnappings and dacoity cases.