The court cited the prosecution’s failure to prove the charges beyond reasonable doubt as the reason for their acquittal.
As part of the acquittal, both Kanda and Chadha were required to submit a personal bond of ₹1 lakh and be present in court if the police decided to appeal against the ruling.
The charges faced by the former minister included several sections such as 306 (abetment of suicide), 506 (criminal intimidation), 201 (destruction of evidence), 120B (criminal conspiracy), and 466 (forgery). Additional charges of rape (376) and 377 (unnatural sex) were also initially brought against him, but they were later dropped by the Delhi High Court.
The case revolved around the suicide of Geetika Sharma, a former air hostess employed by Kanda’s MLDR airlines, who was found dead on August 5, 2012, at her residence in Ashok Vihar, North West Delhi. In her suicide note, she attributed her decision to “harassment” by Kanda and his associate, Aruna Chadha.
Following the registration of the case, Kanda, who held the position of a leader in the Haryana Lokhit Party and was an MLA from the Sirsa Assembly constituency in Haryana, was compelled to resign from his post as the minister of state for home.