SURESH SINGHAL Vs. STATE (DELHI ADMINISTRATION)

JUDGEMENT

(1.) This appeal is directed against the judgment dated 01.09.2010 of the Delhi High Court in Criminal Appeal No.232 of 1997 filed by the appellant-Suresh Singhal against his conviction and the sentence awarded to him. The appeal filed by the State seeking death penalty for the appellant and against the acquittal of Roshal Lal was dismissed by the High Court in Criminal Appeal No.226 of 1997.

(2.) The appellant was prosecuted for the incident that occurred on the 04.03.1991 at about 5.15 pm. The deceased-Shyam Sunder and Kishan Lal, both brothers, were killed in the incident at the office of Lala Harkishan Dass located at Rajendra Park, Nangloi. The statement of Lala Harkishan Dass was recorded. He had arranged a meeting for settling a dispute that had arisen between the appellant and the deceased. The appellant had apparently agreed to sell a property through a property dealer, namely the deceased-Shyam Sunder. The purchasers were the Gurdaspur Party. Apparently there was some misunderstanding between the parties and eventually a meeting was arranged at the office of Lala Harkishan Dass.

(3.) The deceased-Shyam Sunder and his two brothers Hans Raj and Kishan Lal were already at the office of Lala Harkishan Dass. The appellant-Suresh Singhal and his father Pritpal Singhal accompanied by another man (Roshan Lal) reached the office at about 5.00 pm. As soon as they entered the office, there was an altercation between the appellant and the deceased. The appellant took out his revolver and shot Shyam Sunder. Thereafter, the appellant and his father Pritpal Singhal who had come to the office in a car, left the car behind and fled the place in the car of another visitor.