New Delhi, Jul 3 A Delhi court on Friday reserved till July 4 its order on sentence against BJP MLA Raju Kumar Singh, who was convicted in a 2018 case of celebratory firing that left a woman dead.
Special Judge Vishal Gogne reserved its order after hearing arguments on sentence against Singh, who was convicted under IPC Section 304 Part II (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and under the Arms Act provision for contravening rules regarding arms licence.
Singh, 56, is a BJP MLA from Sahebganj in Bihar.
In a 97-page order, the court had earlier said, "The acts of celebratory firing during festivities are a scourge which often cause fatalities in our country".
"The present case reflects a similar tragedy where alleged acts of reckless celebratory firing by accused 1 (Raju Kumar Singh), a multiple-term MLA from Bihar, caused the death of a guest in a New Year's party on the intervening night of December 31, 2018, and January 1, 2019. The other accused purportedly caused the disappearance of the evidence relating to this incident."
Noting the evidence before it, the court said it was established that Singh, who had been identified by multiple witnesses, fired the fatal bullet which caused the death of Archana Gupta.
The court had said Singh committed "a manifestly dangerous act" of using a firearm to fire multiple rounds from his pistol, and the act of celebratory firing in the midst of a multitude of persons, situated in proximity, carried with it the inherent possibility of a bullet hitting such persons.
