Mumbai: Former Mumbai police officer Pradeep Sharma, known for his controversial encounters, faced a major legal setback on Tuesday as the Bombay High Court handed him a life sentence for his involvement in the fake encounter of Ramnarayan Gupta in 2006, an alleged associate of gangster Chhota Rajan.
This ruling starkly contrasts with the previous verdict of the sessions court, which had acquitted Sharma. Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Gauri Godse of the division bench termed the
lower court’s decision as “perverse and unsustainable”, pointing out major flaws in the judgement.
The court stated that the trial court had ignored the substantial evidence against Sharma, which conclusively proved his involvement in the case. On November 11, 2006, a police team apprehended Ramnarayan Gupta, also known as Lakkhan Bhaiya, from Vashi in Navi Mumbai, along with his friend Anil Bheda. Later that evening, they were killed in a staged encounter near Versova in western Mumbai.
The court said Sharma was convicted on all charges, including criminal conspiracy, murder, kidnapping and wrongful confinement, and sentenced to life. The bench ordered Sharma to surrender to the relevant sessions court within three weeks.
Notably, Sharma’s legal woes are far from over. He is also implicated in another case involving the discovery of gelatin sticks outside billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s residence in 2021 and the murder of businessman Mansukh Hirani. Sharma has been granted bail in this case by the Supreme Court.
The high court also upheld the life sentences of 13 other individuals involved in the case, as ordered by the trial court. This group includes 12 police officers and one civilian. Conversely, the high court reversed the life sentences of six others, resulting in their acquittal.
The high court accepted the prosecution’s charges of a staged encounter, murder, abduction, and wrongful confinement of the deceased. Initially, 22 individuals, including 13 police officers, were charged in the case. In 2013, the sessions court found 21 of the accused guilty and sentenced them to life imprisonment. However, Sharma was acquitted due to lack of evidence, and two of the convicted individuals passed away in custody.
The convicted individuals appealed their sentences in the high court, while the prosecution and the deceased victim’s brother, Ramprasad Gupta, appealed against Sharma’s acquittal. During the proceedings, special public prosecutor Rajiv Chavan argued that the police officers, who were supposed to enforce the law, were actually involved in a premeditated and brutal murder. The prosecution sought Sharma’s conviction, asserting that he was the main instigator and orchestrator of the entire abduction and murder operation.
with agency inputs