After three-and-half years of probe, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has failed to identify who killed Geetanjali Garg, wife of then Gurgaon judge Ravneet Garg, but has filed a chargesheet under dowry death.
She was found dead with three bullet injuries in a park near police lines in Gurgaon on July 17, 2013, with the licensed revolver of Ravneet lying close to her body.
However, CBI’s chargesheet against Ravneet, his father Kewal Krishan Garg, who retired as sessions judge, and mother Rachna Garg is not for murder but for dowry death, subjecting woman to cruelty and criminal conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code.
Under dowry death section, the onus is on the accused to prove themselves innocent.
The Arms Act was also imposed on the judge. Ravneet and his family lives in Sector 25 of Panchkula.
Ravneet had later joined as civil judge (senior division) in Kaithal from where he was suspended after the CBI arrested him on September 7.
As of now, his judicial custody has been extended till December 12.
The chargesheet on Tuesday was necessary as the mandatory 90 days for filing it was approaching. Had it not been filed, Ravneet would have been entitled to bail.
The Gurgaon police questioned Ravneet in the case in July 2013 and after that CBI interrogated him in September 2013 for three days and searched his house as well. He was again interrogated in January and July of 2014 followed by polygraphy, which came out inconclusive. Later, brain mapping tests corroborated the findings of the polygraph test.
According to the CBI, dowry was demanded and was being used by Ravneet and his family in the form of cash, jewellery and cars. The investigating agency also claimed two Skoda sedans were given as dowry and were used by Ravneet. It claimed that Ravneet continued to torture his wife for more dowry and obtained a plot of land in Sonepat and also money from her parents to meet day-to-day expenses. Besides, he and his parents regularly cursed Geetanjali for not being able to give birth to a male child as the couple only had two daughters.
It was also contended that Ravneet was found to be in possession of ammunition obtained through an illegal source.
Geetanjali and Ravneet got married in 2007. Geetanjali is survived by two daughters Aasma, now 7, and Adiva, 6.
The FIR, which was registered on July 20, 2013, was for murder. The dowry allegations were added in July 28, 2013.
