Court extends judicial custody of Kanda, Chaddha through video conference

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A Delhi court on Tuesday extended the judicial custody of former Haryana minister Gopal Goyal Kanda and that of his aide Aruna Chaddha in the Geetika Sharma suicide case by 14 days, conducting its proceedings through video conferencing.

Metropolitan Magistrate Bhupinder Singh remanded Kanda and Chaddha to judicial custody till September 25 after the Delhi police said investigation in the case was still on.

The duo were not brought to the court physically from Rohini Jail after expiry of their judicial custody on Tuesday.

"Accused (Kanda and Chaddha) produced through electronic video linkage (EVL). Heard. Accused be remanded in judicial custody till 25," Metropolitan Magistrate Bhupinder Singh said.

The court had earlier allowed the Delhi police's plea for conducting proceedings through video conferencing as, the police said, a huge crowd gathers in court premises when the two accused are produced there.

The police had said that due to media hype and the crowd of onlookers and supporters of the accused, they did not want to bring them to court physically.

In future proceedings also, Kanda and Chaddha would be produced before the judge through video conferencing.

Kanda was arrested on August 18 after he had surrendered before the police, 13 days after former air hostess Geetika Sharma was found dead on August 5 in her Ashok Vihar house in North West Delhi.

Chaddha was arrested on August 8 after she was called for questioning by the police for her alleged role in the case.

In her suicide note, Geetika had alleged that Kanda and one of the MDLR employees, Chaddha, were harassing her to rejoin the former minister's firm after she left the job.

In her August 4 suicide note, 23-year-old Geetika had said she was ending her life due to 'harassment' by Kanda and Chaddha.

Both Kanda and Chaddha have been accused of abetting Geetika's suicide.

The court had earlier dismissed Chaddha's bail plea saying if she is released at this juncture, she might tamper with the evidence.

A magisterial court had issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against the former Haryana minister on August 16 and he had surrendered before police on August 18.

Kanda's anticipatory bail plea was rejected earlier by a sessions court and the Delhi High Court earlier.