Allahabad HC Grants Bail To Ex-IIS Officer Accused Of Killing Lawyer-Wife, Hiding In Closet To Evade Arrest

As per the prosecution's case, in September 2023, 64-year-old Singh allegedly strangled his wife to death after a heated argument over selling their two-storey house in Noida.

During the course of the investigation, Singh was shown to have been arrested from inside the store room of the first floor of the house, where he was purportedly found hiding with cigarettes and a bottle of water.

Seeking bail in the case, the counsel for the applicant submitted that there was a vital delay of about 08 hours in lodging the FIR, which had not been explained by the informant, Ajay Kumar, who also happens to be the brother of the deceased.

It was further argued that there was pressure from the informant for the transfer of the self-owned house of the applicant in his favour; however, the applicant and his wife (deceased) had negotiated the sale of the house for ₹4.5 crores and received ₹55 lakhs as earnest money.

Thus, it was contended that there was every possibility of the complicity of the informant in the incident, and he could be behind the killing of his wife and in the applicant's absence, the house used to be looked after by the informant, who possessed a set of keys.

Lastly, it was argued that the applicant has been in jail since September 11, 2023. A charge sheet was filed on October 14, 2023, and cognizance was taken in October 2023; however, the case has not yet been committed.

On the other hand, opposing the bail, the informant's counsel and the AGA submitted that the CCTV footage collected from a neighbouring house revealed that the applicant never left the premises on the day of the incident, which corroborated the claim that he was present in the house at the time of the crime. It was also submitted that he didn't have a cordial relationship with his wife.

Against the backdrop of these submissions, the court, without expressing any opinion on the merits and while noting that the charge sheet had already been filed and a cognizance had been taken (in October 2023), the case had not yet been committed, the court granted him bail.