[2009 Dehradun Fake Encounter] Supreme Court Grants Interim Bail To Ex Cop Nitin Chauhan

The Supreme Court today granted 1 week interim bail to ex police man Nitin Chauhan serving life imprisonment for a 2009 fake encounter in Dehradun for killing a 20 year old MBA student.

The vacation bench of Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice MR Shah while granting interim bail to Nitin Chauhan for 1 week to meet his ailing mother at the hospital has directed the Sessions Court to lay down the terms and conditions to be followed by Chauhan while being enlarged on bail.

Senior Advocate Harshvir Pratap Sharma appearing for Chauhan submitted that the applicant was in jail for 11.5 years and was seeking interim bail on the ground of his mother’s ill health.

Ranbir Singh, 22-year-old student from Ghaziabad , was shot dead by the Dehradun Police on July 3, 2009, in the Ladpur forests. The Uttarakhand Police after the incident claimed that the deceased fled with a Sub Inspector and was shot dead during an encounter.

When it was later found that it was a fake encounter, the state government ordered a CBI inquiry. During the investigations, the CBI concluded that Ranbir and his accomplices indeed came to Dehradun with the purpose of dacoity but after being confronted by SI GD Bhatt, they had a scuffle with him and after beating him up, the two had fled. But Ranbir was caught alive by the police. The CBI had registered cases against 18 Uttrakhand policemen.

The Delhi Court on June 6, 2014 found seven of them guilty of murder, 10 of them of criminal conspiracy and kidnapping to murder and another one is convicted for destruction of evidence.

In February, 2018 the Delhi High court bench of Justices S Muralidhar and Justice IS Mehta while awarding life imprisonment to the seven suspended Uttarakhand policemen for killing a 22 year old MBA student in the fake encounter had upheld the trial Court’s June 9, 2014 verdict regarding the suspended policemen. Further, the Court had however set aside the conviction and life term of 10 other suspended policemen.

Case Title: GD Bhatt v. State Thr CBI and Nitin Chauhan v. CBI SCB Lucknow