Gudiya Custodial Death Case: HC Suspends Sentence of IG Zahur Haider Zaidi

December 23, 2025

Shimla: The Punjab and Haryana High Court has stayed the sentence of IPS officer Syed Zahur Haider Zaidi, convicted in the custodial death of an accused in the highly publicized Gudia rape-murder case. However, the detailed order regarding the verdict is yet to be issued.

CBI court had sentenced him to life imprisonment

Earlier, on January 18, a special CBI court in Chandigarh had convicted IG Zaidi and nine other police officers. On January 21, Zaidi and other police officers were sentenced to life imprisonment.

The Gudia rape-murder case took place in 2017

In July 2017, 16-year-old student Gudia went missing from Kotkhai in Shimla district of Himachal Pradesh. Her naked body was found in the forest two days later. The investigation revealed that she was raped and then murdered.

SIT investigation and custodial death of the accused

A SIT headed by the then Inspector General of Police (IGP) of Shimla, Zahur Haider Zaidi, was formed to investigate the case. The SIT arrested Raju and Suraj. Suraj died in police custody during interrogation, which the CBI later attributed to custodial torture.

The CBI investigation made a major revelation

Following public outrage and protests, the case was handed over to the CBI. During the investigation, a team of doctors from AIIMS found more than 20 injuries on Suraj’s body. The report clearly established that his death was a result of police torture.

The case was transferred to the Chandigarh CBI court in 2017

The case was transferred from Shimla to the Chandigarh CBI court. Following this, several police officers, including Zaidi, were suspended. Zaidi spent 582 days in jail and was granted bail by the Supreme Court in April 2019.

Repeated suspensions and reinstatements

The trial continued even after he was granted bail. He was suspended again in 2020, and the Congress government reinstated him in January 2023.

The main accused has already been sentenced to life imprisonment.

In June 2021, Anil Kumar alias Neelu, the main accused in the Gudiya murder and rape case, was sentenced to life imprisonment by a special court in Shimla.