Harshita Brella murder case: Court rejects bail pleas of in-laws

New Delhi, A court here on Tuesday dismissed the bail pleas of the parents of Pankaj Lamba, a man accused of murdering his 24-year-old wife Harshita Brella in the United Kingdom.

The court, which also dismissed the anticipatory bail pleas of Lamba's three other relatives, observed that there were specific allegations of dowry and harassment against the in-laws and that the accused husband was still at large.

Brella's body was recovered from the boot of a car in east London on November 14, 2024. The car, which belongs to her husband, was parked in Brisbane Road, Ilford.

The accused's parents, Darshan Singh and Sunil Devi, were arrested on March 19 and sent to a one-day custodial interrogation. Later, they were sent to a judicial custody, following which they filed pleas seeking bail.

Additional Sessions Judge Gurmohina Kaur said, "The investigating officer has stated that father of the deceased had made specific allegations regarding demand of dowry and harassment by the applicants or accused and it is submitted that matter is at the stage of initial investigation."

Dismissing the couple's pleas, the judge said that Lamba had absconded and the possibility of the parents doing the same could not be ruled out.

The court also rejected the anticipatory bail pleas of Lamba's sister Uma Lamba, paternal aunt's husband Satinder and paternal aunt Lalita on the same grounds.

Noting the evidence before it, the court said that there were are specific allegations against all the applicants by the father of the deceased regarding "dowry demands, harassment and torture."

"It is submitted that even after the deceased went to UK along with co-accused Pankaj Lamba, the family members, including the applicants, continued to intimidate and threaten the family of the deceased in India and kept pressurising them to meet more demands," the court said.

"It was also alleged that the deceased, who was staying in the UK, was also harassed by the applicants and other family members at that time," it added.

Advocate Jai Dev Solanki, appearing for the deceased’s father, Satbir Singh opposed all the five pleas seeking relief, saying Brella was harassed and tortured by the accused persons immediately the day after her marriage.

Brella’s family had claimed that it was a planned murder as Lamba managed to flee to India just a day after brutally killing the woman.

The deceased’s family filed a complaint in the Palam village police station on November 19, 2024, and a case against the husband and other family members was registered on December 3.

Lambha and others have been accused of the offences of dowry death, causing cruelty to a married woman and criminal breach of trust.

The accused husband has been declared a proclaimed offender and a look out notice has been issued against him.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.