New Delhi (Gurpreet Singh): A Delhi court on Saturday sentenced Bihar BJP MLA Raju Kumar Singh to four years of simple imprisonment for causing the death of a woman through reckless celebratory firing at a New Year’s Eve party in 2018. Special Judge Vishal Gogne of the Rouse Avenue Court also slapped a fine of 25 lakh rupees on the legislator from Sahebganj, directing the entire sum to be paid as compensation to the family of the deceased, Dr. Archana Gupta. Rejecting the lawmaker’s plea for leniency and release on probation, the judge strongly criticized the prevalence of weapon-based entitlement, stating that the law leaves no room for individuals trying to emulate cinematic strongmen.
The fatal incident occurred on the night of December 31, 2018, during a festive gathering at a farmhouse in south Delhi’s Fatehpur Beri, where Singh discharged his licensed pistol into the air, inadvertently striking the victim. Singh was subsequently convicted under Section 304 Part II of the Indian Penal Code for culpable homicide not amounting to murder with knowledge, alongside Section 30 of the Arms Act for violating licensing rules. In the comprehensive 34-page sentencing order, the court observed that continuous firing in a crowded social space reflected a callous disregard for human safety and highlighted how muscular assertions of power by public figures serve to legitimize an illegal gun culture. Judge Gogne emphasized that public representatives must be held to a high standard of trust rather than receiving preferential sentencing, adding a consecutive two-month prison term under the Arms Act.
The prosecution team presented testimonies from 33 witnesses, including multiple eyewitness accounts that firmly established Singh as the individual responsible for the fatal shot, while also highlighting his subsequent attempt to evade law enforcement before being intercepted on a regional highway. Legal experts noted that since the custodial sentence exceeds the statutory two-year threshold, the ruling puts the Bihar legislator’s state assembly membership at immediate risk of disqualification under the Representation of the People Act. The court concluded that misplaced judicial leniency would send a demoralizing message to the public, underscoring that the financial penalty was calibrated against the convict’s substantial real estate and business assets to provide meaningful support to the victim’s disrupted family.
