Airhostess suicide case: Gopal Goyal Kanda gets bail, to walk out of jail

NEW DELHI: After spending over 18 months in jail in airhostess Geetika Sharma suicide case, former Haryana minister Gopal Goyal Kanda was today granted bail by a Delhi court which said he has "social roots" and cannot flee from justice.

Additional Sessions Judge Yashwant Kumar allowed the bail plea of Kanda saying he had abided by the court's order when he was out on interim bail for a month in September last year to attend the state Assembly session.

It however, imposed several conditions on Kanda including that he will deposit his passport with the court, not leave the country and will also not flee from justice.

The court also directed Kanda to furnish a personal bond of Rs 5 lakh and two sureties of the like amount.

Giving reasons for allowing Kanda on bail, the court said the investigation in the matter is over and police has also seized all the articles related to the case.

It also said the accused has social roots in the society and there is less chances of his fleeing from the "court of law".

Kanda had surrendered before police on August 18, 2012 while Aruna Chadha, Kanda's employee and co-accused in the case, was arrested on August 8, 2012.

Chadha and Kanda are accused of abetting the suicide of the 23-year-old former airhostess who was earlier employed in Kanda's MDLR airlines.

Both the accused have also been charged with forgery for cheating and harming the reputation of the victim.

The airhostess was found dead on August 5, 2012 at her Ashok Vihar residence in northwest Delhi. In her suicide note, she had said she was ending her life due to "harassment" by Kanda and Chadha.