Bihar BJP MLA convicted in 2018 firing case

A Delhi court has convicted Raju Kumar Singh, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Bihar, in connection with a celebratory firing incident on New Year's Eve 2018 that led to a woman's death. The conviction, handed down by special judge Vishal Gogne, found Singh guilty under Indian Penal Code section 304 (II) for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and section 30 of the Arms Act.

The incident took place at Singh's farmhouse in South Delhi, where a celebratory firing from his pistol tragically struck and killed 45-year-old Archana Gupta. The court noted that Singh's act of firing a deadly weapon in a crowded party, with people actively engaged, was "manifestly dangerous." The MLA, who was initially arrested in January 2019 and had been on bail, has now been taken into judicial custody.

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it was a manifestly dangerous act for accused Raju Kumar Singh to have been using a firearm to fire multiple rounds with his pistol

The court has scheduled June 9 for arguments on the point of sentencing, with the maximum punishment for the convicted offenses being three years imprisonment. Singh's wife, Renu Singh, and two other individuals were acquitted of charges related to the destruction of evidence due to insufficient material evidence.

The case dates back to December 31, 2018, when Singh, formerly with the Janata Dal United (JDU) before joining the BJP, fired shots during a New Year's gathering. The victim, Archana Gupta, was the wife of complainant Vikas Gupta. Police recovered a .315 calibre rifle and live cartridges from the farmhouse following the incident. The court's detailed order affirmed that Raju Kumar Singh fired the fatal bullet that caused Archana Gupta's death.

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The court has reached a firm finding that accused Raju Kumar Singh, identified by name and before the court by multiple eye witnesses, fired the fatal bullet which caused the death of Archana Gupta