R.K. Sharma sent to Tihar jail for 14 days

A local court yesterday sent the suspended Inspector General of Haryana Police, Ravi Kant Sharma, to Tihar Jail for 14 days in judicial custody.

He has been accused of masterminding the murder of journalist Shivani Bhatnagar in 1999. The move comes amid speculation hotly denied by his lawyer and family that he has already signed a statement confessing to his crime.

Although the Delhi Police have not admitted to it officially, they informed the court that they have concluded Sharma's interrogation that lasted for 10 days and are satisfied with its outcome.

This paved the way for his judicial custody, which means he cannot be interrogated by the police any more. All six accused will now be produced in the court on October 22, when the police are expected to file the formal charge sheet in the case.

Confessions during interrogation are not admissible in court and the police will have to substantiate the charges with evidence to take the high-profile case to its logical end.

This might prove to be difficult because the police have no eyewitness, no approver or any solid evidence as the entire case is based on confessions and circumstantial evidence.

Even Sharma saying that he was forced to sign on the dotted line under duress – if the police do present his signed confession – cannot be ruled out. It is also felt that the alleged confession may be a ruse by Sharma to end his tiresome interrogation and turn the tables on the Delhi Police.

An indication of this was evident soon after the metropolitan magistrate J.P. Narain sent him to judicial custody yesterday as Sharma's lawyer R.K. Naseem moved an application accusing the Delhi Police of not following leads provided by Sharma about some politicians in the murder case.

He was asked by the court to file the application through proper channels which the court will discuss in its next hearing on October 22.

The Sharma family have been saying all along that he has been framed by the police to save federal minister Pramod Mahajan, whom they accused as the real culprit in the murder case.

Legal experts feel that since courts rarely punish an accused on the basis of circumstantial evidence, the case may have entered into the most crucial stage now, and it will be interesting to see what clinching evidence they can come up with to pin Sharma as the real culprit.