The Bombay High Court on Tuesday, sentenced former Mumbai Police encounter specialist Pradeep Sharma to life imprisonment. This is the first conviction of police officers in a fake encounter. The court also upheld the life imprisonment awarded to 13 others, including 12 police personnel, in the case of the fake encounter killing of Lakhan Bhaiya in 2006, who allegedly was the former aide of the notorious gangster Chhota Rajan.
The offence against one civilian and one cop was abated as they died after conviction. Justice Revati Mohite Dere and Justice Gauri Godse had reserved the appeals for judgment on November 8, 2023. Mumbai Police encounter specialist Pradeep Sharma, who was acquitted earlier, was asked to surrender within three weeks.
The court remarked that all the circumstances led by the prosecution, right from the formation of the police squad, wrongful confinement, criminal abduction and fake encounter, have been proved.
Meanwhile, the Bombay High Court lamented the gruesome death of sole eye witness Anil Bheda days before his deposition in 2011, calling it a shame and a travesty of justice that the prime witness lost his life, but no one is booked to date. It further hoped that Bheda’s perpetrators would be prosecuted.
On former Mumbai Police Pradeep Sharma, the sole accused to be acquitted by the trial court, the High Court said all circumstances were overlooked by the trial judge and the finding of acquittal perverse and unsustainable by ignoring and excluding relevant material. The court observed that the circumstances point towards the guilt of Pradeep Sharma.
Vashi resident Lakhan Bhaiya, allegedly a former gangster was abducted and killed in a staged police shooting in Versova on November 11, 2006. Earlier, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) alleged the encounter was led by former senior inspector Pradeep Sharma, who conspired with Lakhan Bhaiya’s disgruntled business partner to bump him off.
Dilip Palande, Nitin Sartape, Ganesh Harpude, Anand Patade, Prakash Kadam, Devidas Sakpal, Pandurang Kokam, Ratnakar Kamble, Sandeep Sardar, Tanaji Desai, Pradeep Suryavanshi and Vinayak Shinde are the convicted police officers. The High Court also upheld the conviction of civilian Hitesh Solanki.
However, the Bombay High Court set aside the life sentence of Manoj Mohan Raj alias Mannu, Shailendra Pandey, Suresh Shetty among others.