Apex court notice to Kanda, brother in assault case

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New Delhi, Aug 9: The Supreme Court Thursday issued notice to former Haryana minister Gopal Goyal Kanda and his brother Govind Kanda for allegedly beating up an INLD activist in April 2010.

An apex court bench of Justice P. Sathasivam and Justice Ranjan Gogoi issued the notice on a plea by Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) activist Pradeep Godara, who alleged that since Gopal Goyal Kanda was Haryana’s minister of state for home at the time of the incident, police had not registered a case against him and his brother.

Appearing for Godara, counsel G.K. Sharma said that the assault by the Kanda brothers amounted to attempt to murder and causing grievous injuries.

The petitioner earlier moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking directions to police to register a first information report (FIR).

However, the high court April 20, 2010, directed the petitioner to approach a magistrate’s court.

The Sirsa judicial magistrate May 4, 2010, dismissed Godara’s complaint, he said.

The high court May 10, 2010, upheld the judicial magistrate’s decision that it did not “suffer from any illegality as the magistrate under Section 156(3) of Cr.P.C. (Criminal Procedure Code) has the powers to examine the contents of the complaint and has refused to order investigation for registration” of FIR.

The apex court notice comes even as Delhi Police are raiding the houses and offices of Gopal Goyal Kanda in connection with the suicide of his former employee Geetika Sharma in Delhi Aug 5. Geetika in her suicide note named the former Haryana minister and his associate Aruna Chaddha for harassing her, leading her to take the extreme step .

Chaddha was arrested and sent to police custody till Aug 11 by a Delhi court Thursday. Another Delhi court rejected Gopal Goyal Kanda’s anticipatory bail plea.

IANS