Delhi Court grants bail to man accused in 2020 West Punjabi Bagh murder case

August 8, 2025

New Delhi: The Tis Hazari court in Delhi has approved bail for the main suspect involved in the alleged murder of a 65-year-old man in West Punjabi Bagh, nearly five years after the crime took place. The accused had been in judicial detention since September 26, 2020, facing charges including murder, attempt to murder, dacoity, criminal conspiracy, and other provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The incident occurred on the night of September 25-26, 2020, when Jagdish, the victim, returned home after walking a stray dog and was reportedly attacked by Sonu, his friend, along with others. During the assault, Jagdish’s wife and children attempted to intervene and were injured in the process. Jagdish was taken to Acharya Bhikshu Hospital and later transferred to RML Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries that same evening.

Representing the accused, lawyer Ravi Drall argued that Sonu had already spent nearly five years in custody and that no further investigation was pending. He emphasized that all key witnesses, including the victim’s wife and daughter, had been examined. The defense also claimed that the police had failed to prove any motive behind the crime and had falsely implicated Sonu and others.

Further, Drall alleged that the police concealed an important fact—that Jagdish was assaulted approximately six hours before the incident by Rakesh Pradhan, which could have caused his fatal injuries.

The Sessions Judge, Nipun Awasthi, last week noted serious lapses in the investigation. The police admitted they did not record Jagdish’s statement during his hospital stay from 1:40 a.m. on September 26 until the morning, which the court deemed “imprudent, indifferent, malicious or motivated, but not reasonable.” The court also observed that the victim’s wife’s statement had not been recorded during that period, with no explanation given for the delay.

Considering the nearly five-year custody of Sonu, the progress in witness testimony, and irregularities in the investigation, the court concluded that continuing detention was unnecessary for investigation or trial purposes and granted him bail.