Delhi High Court Grants Bail to Accused in 2019 Abduction and Murder Case

New Delhi, October 16, 2024: The Delhi High Court has granted regular bail to Hitesh Pratap Singh Chauhan, an accused in the 2019 abduction and murder of Arun Kumar Sharma in Greater Kailash. Chauhan has been in custody since December 2019, and the court considered his conduct during incarceration, the extended length of his custody, and the progress of the trial in its decision.

Justice Anish Dayal, in the order dated October 14, stated, “In light of the above, and that the trial in the matter is likely to take some time, and it would not be prudent to keep the petitioner behind bars for an indefinite period, this Court finds it to be a fit case for grant of bail to the petitioner.”

Chauhan, who had filed a plea seeking regular bail, was granted release upon furnishing a personal bond of ₹50,000 with one surety of the same amount, subject to the satisfaction of the Trial Court.

The case, registered at the Greater Kailash-1 police station, involves serious charges, including abduction, murder, destruction of evidence, and criminal conspiracy. Chauhan’s father is also an accused in the case, which revolves around a long-standing property dispute.

According to the prosecution, on November 16, 2019, Shashi Kiran Sharma reported to the police that her brother, Arun Kumar Sharma, had gone missing after leaving his residence the previous day to attend a court hearing in Gurugram. Arun was last seen heading to meet his lawyer at the M.G. Road Metro Station.

An FIR under Section 365 (kidnapping) of the Indian Penal Code was registered, and the investigation revealed that Arun Sharma had a property dispute with co-accused Rishi Raj Pal Singh Chauhan, dating back to 2009. The Supreme Court had ruled in Arun Sharma’s favor in September 2019, shortly before his disappearance.

CCTV footage collected during the investigation showed two suspects and a white Mahindra Scorpio, which was later found to be using a fake registration number. Upon interrogation, Hitesh Chauhan and Rishi Raj Pal Singh Chauhan allegedly confessed to their involvement in the crime and revealed that they had hired three individuals—Amet Vikram Chhabra, Priyank Khanna (alias Prince), and Sahil Kumar Bunty—to kidnap and murder Arun Sharma.

The court, considering the stage of the trial and the prolonged period of pre-trial detention, granted bail to Hitesh Chauhan while the case continues.