New Delhi, July 28: The Delhi High Court has suspended the four-year prison sentence of Bihar BJP MLA Raju Kumar Singh, convicted in a 2018 celebratory firing case that claimed the life of a woman, pending the hearing of his appeal.Justice Manoj Jain passed the order on Monday, observing that the appeal was unlikely to be heard in the near future.
The court directed Singh’s release on furnishing a personal bond of ₹25,000 and a surety bond of the same amount, along with compliance with specified conditions, including maintaining an active mobile phone number and providing it to the investigating officer.Singh, a four-time legislator representing the Sahebganj Assembly constituency in Bihar, was convicted by a Delhi trial court on June 6 under Section 304 Part II of the Indian Penal Code for culpable homicide not amounting to murder with knowledge, as well as provisions of the Arms Act related to violation of firearm licence conditions.
The case stems from a New Year’s Eve celebration in 2018 at Singh’s farmhouse in Delhi’s Fatehpur Beri area, where celebratory gunfire allegedly resulted in the death of 45-year-old Archana Gupta. The trial court sentenced Singh to four years’ imprisonment on July 4 and directed him to pay ₹25 lakh as compensation to the victim’s family.
While pronouncing the sentence, the trial court had strongly criticised the practice of celebratory firing, stressing that reckless use of firearms has no place in a society governed by the rule of law.
The court observed that the punishment should serve both as a deterrent and an opportunity for reflection and reform.During the hearing before the High Court, Singh’s legal team argued that the prosecution had failed to conclusively establish that the fatal bullet was fired from his weapon.
The defence submitted that another individual, a security guard, had also discharged a firearm during the event and that forensic evidence did not definitively link the recovered projectile to Singh’s pistol. It also pointed out that several key witnesses had not supported the prosecution’s case during the trial.
The defence further informed the court that Singh was willing to deposit the compensation amount ordered by the trial court, while seeking suspension of his sentence until the appeal is decided.The prosecution opposed the plea, defending the trial court’s findings, while counsel representing the victim’s family also participated in the proceedings.
The High Court clarified that the suspension of sentence is an interim measure and that Singh’s conviction will remain subject to the final outcome of the appeal.
