Phoolan murder: Sher Singh Rana's presence at spot, use of car nails him

NEW DELHI: Sher Singh Rana's presence at Phoolan Devi's residence since the morning of the incident day and his failure to explain as to how the assailants, who shot dead the slain MP, used his car in fleeing from the spot sealed his fate with a Delhi court convicting him for killing the bandit-turned-politician in 2001.

Additional Sessions Judge Bharat Parashar, who on August 8 held Rana guilty of offences under sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder) and 34 (common intention) under the IPC in the case, concluded in his verdict that he was either one of the two assailants who had fired at Phoolan and her personal security officer (PSO) Balender on July 25, 2001 or was the third one who drove away the car.

"The net result of the aforesaid discussion is that the prosecution has been able to prove that accused Sher Singh Rana, who was present at the house of Phoolan Devi since morning on July 25, 2001 was found absent right from the time of the incident and that the assailants used his car in fleeing from the spot," the judge held in his 217-page judgement.

The court had on August 8 convicted Rana in the case while it had acquitted 10 other co-accused in the sensational murder of Phoolan who was then a Lok Sabha MP.