SC Issues Notice on Plea Against Bail to Ex-IIS Officer Accused of Killing Lawyer Wife
Lawyer Renu Sinha was found murdered in her Noida home, while her husband, ex-IIS officer Vijay Sinha, was discovered hiding in the house's store room;
The Supreme Court has issued notice in an Special Leave Petition (SLP) challenging the June 27 order of the Allahabad High Court which had granted bail to Nitin Nath Singh, a retired Indian Information Service (IIS) officer, accused of murdering his wife, a practising lawyer at the Delhi High Court, Renu Sinha, at their Noida residence in September 2023.
Renu Sinha was found dead in the bathroom of her bungalow in Sector-30, Noida, on September 10, 2023. Her brother Ajay Kumar, a journalist, had filed the complaint after she failed to respond to calls for over a day. Upon reaching the residence with a friend, Kumar found the house locked. Police were called, and after forcing entry, they discovered her body bearing multiple injuries. A post-mortem confirmed death by manual strangulation.
Her husband, Nitin Nath Singh, believed to have left the house, was discovered nearly 15 hours later hiding inside a storeroom of the same house. CCTV footage and witness accounts indicated he had never exited the premises. As per media reports, Singh had stocked the room with cigarettes and water and remained inside even as police, sniffer dogs, and a search team combed the house.
The bench of Justice JK Maheshwari and Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia, on July 28, issued notice to the Uttar Pradesh government, returnable in six weeks, on a petition filed by the victim’s brother and complainant, veteran journalist Ajay Kumar, challenging the High Court’s grant of bail.
The prosecution described the incident as the culmination of years of domestic violence, culminating in a violent assault on September 10, 2023, following a property dispute.
Despite compelling evidence, including mobile location data, CCTV footage showing the accused inside the house, and witness testimony, the High Court granted Singh bail, citing overcrowding in jails and lack of infrastructure.
Appearing for the petitioner, Senior Advocate A.K. Ganguly, along with Advocates Barnali Basak, Ramesh Allanki and Aruna Gupta (AoR), argued that the High Court committed a grave error in granting bail.
The plea pointed out the following:
-Overwhelming Evidence: CCTV footage and mobile tower location placed the accused inside the residence at the time of the murder. Singh falsely claimed he was at Lodhi Road, New Delhi, 20 km away.
-Fabricated Alibis: Singh gave contradictory statements, including claiming he was out of town while also stating he met property brokers at home on the same day.
-Witness Intimidation & Influence: The accused is allegedly leveraging powerful political and bureaucratic connections, including ties to Rajiv Kumar (convicted in the Noida Land Scam) and AAP leader Vikas Narain Rai, to stall proceedings and intimidate witnesses.
-Repeat Offender: An earlier FIR (No. 0486/2016) was lodged by the deceased against Singh under Sections 323, 504, and 506 IPC for criminal intimidation and assault.
-Forgery Allegations: The accused is also alleged to possess dual passports (Indian and British) and maintain dual identities, including Voter ID and Ration Card, while serving as a government employee, violating service conduct rules and passport regulations.
The petitioner in the plea submitted that the High Court ignored crucial facts and the gravity of the offence while granting bail, and failed to exercise judicial discretion properly, contrary to the principles laid down in Bharatbhai Bhimbai Bharward v. State of Gujarat (2020) 18 SCC 693. The plea emphasized that bail in cases involving Section 302 IPC (murder) cannot be justified on administrative grounds like overcrowded jails.
Notably, the single judge bench of Justice Siddharth of the Allahabad High Court, while noting the seriousness of the charges, had observed that Singh is a senior citizen, not a hardened criminal, and had already spent over nine months in custody. He had cited Article 21 of the Constitution and recent Supreme Court guidelines on jail overcrowding to extend bail. As conditions for bail, the judge had directed Singh to surrender both passports, barred him from leaving India without permission, and warned against tampering with evidence.
The high court had further directed that Singh must attend all trial hearings without seeking adjournments when witnesses are present. Any violation could lead to cancellation of bail.
Case Title: Ajay Kumar v. Nitin Nath Singh & Anr.
Hearing Date: July 28, 2025
Bench: Justice JK Maheshwari and Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia