Pradeep Sharma was convicted for a 2006 fake encounter.
In a major judgment upholding the rule of law, the Bombay High Court on Tuesday found ex-police officer Pradeep Sharma guilty of murder in the 2006 staged encounter killing of Ramnarayan Gupta. The court sentenced Sharma to life imprisonment while dismissing the lower court’s 2013 verdict that acquitted all 22 accused cops due to insufficient evidence.
According to records, Sharma had gunned down Gupta, an associate of gangster Chhota Rajan, in a staged police encounter in Mumbai that year.
However, the HC ruled the prosecution successfully proved the deceased was in police custody when “brutally killed in cold blood.” The act was later dressed up as a “genuine encounter” to cover up the crime.
Delivering a scathing indictment of Sharma’s conduct, the court termed him “perverse” and “unsustainable” for the job while scrapping the sessions court judgment.
Sharma has been directed to surrender within three weeks. The case saw police officers booked for conspiracy, staging encounters and culpable homicide.
The ruling underscores the judiciary’s commitment to upholding justice and the rule of law in the face of might backed by uniform. It aims to curb rising crime—the logic of instant street justice.
