Retired Cop Pradeep Sharma Convicted and Sentenced to Life Imprisonment in 2006 ‘Fake Encounter’ Case by Bombay High Court

In a significant development, the High Court of Bombay handed down a conviction and life imprisonment sentence to former policeman Pradeep Sharma in connection with the 2006 fake encounter of Ramnarayan Gupta, purportedly a close associate of gangster Chhota Rajan, in Mumbai.

A division bench comprising Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Gauri Godse annulled the sessions court’s 2013 verdict acquitting Sharma, denouncing it as “perverse” and “unsustainable”.

The bench underscored the abundant evidence pointing to Sharma’s complicity in the case, deeming the acquittal by the trial court as an oversight of incontrovertible proof against him.

Sharma has been directed by the high court to surrender before the relevant sessions court within three weeks.

Moreover, the high court upheld the conviction and life imprisonment sentences of 13 individuals, including policemen, while overturning the convictions and acquitting six others.

A total of 22 individuals, including 13 policemen, faced charges related to the murder.

Initially acquitted by the sessions court in 2013 due to purported lack of evidence, Sharma’s conviction was fervently pursued by the prosecution and the victim’s brother, Ramprasad Gupta, who filed an appeal against the acquittal.

Special public prosecutor Rajiv Chavan argued vehemently for Sharma’s conviction, labeling the policemen involved in the staged encounter as violators of law and order, orchestrating a cold-blooded murder.

The prosecution contended that Sharma played a pivotal role as the mastermind behind the abduction and subsequent murder.

The incident, occurring on November 11, 2006, saw Gupta alias Lakkhan Bhaiya and his associate Anil Bheda apprehended by a police team under suspicion of Rajan gang affiliation. Gupta was subsequently killed in what was deemed a “fake” encounter near Nana Nani Park in suburban Versova on the same evening, sparking controversy and legal proceedings spanning over a decade.

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