Two killed in court drama

Matters apparently took a turn for the worse when Valodiya became involved with Maliwad but refused to break off with Parmar. Desai allegedly killed both Parmar and Valodiya at Maliwad’s behest on February 5. Both Desai and Maliwad surrendered to the police last week.

Desai was in court today for an extension of his remand period along with eight other accused, when according to city Police Commissioner Kuldeep Sharma, Sanjay Badgujar, Parmar’s former lover, chanced upon him and shot him dead.

Desai’s lawyer Harish Chaudhary was not the target of the bullets, Sharma said, adding that Badgujar’s first bullet grazed Desai’s right hand and ricocheted off the wall to hit Chaudhary, who died on his way to the New Civil Hospital 20 minutes later. The same bullet may have also hit a bystander, one Manjulaben (who was later reported to be out of danger), the CP said.

On realising that the bullet had gone off-mark, Sharma said, Badgujar fired the second bullet from point-blank range and hit Desai, killing him on the spot. Though one of the seven constables tried to protect Desai, he could not, Sharma said, adding that assailant was then overpowered by the others.

Though the CP said there were no discrepancies among the various eye-witness accounts, advocates present at the scene of crime had something quite contrary to narrate. Even Additional Police Commissioner H P Singh, the first senior official to arrive at the spot, said something different earlier in the day.

According to eye-witnesses, Desai was being escorted out of the chamber around 12.40 pm, when Badgujar shot and killed him at point-blank range before targeting Chaudhary. It had also been said that Badgujar was part of Desai’s escort team.

According to Sharma, however, the constable was on duty on the second floor. Desai was on his way down from the registrar’s office on the fourth floor when Badgujar, on his way up, met him on the third floor and shot him. During preliminary interrogation, Badgujar had also said he was not aware of Desai’s presence in the court till he came face-to-face with him, Sharma said.

However, the CP admitted that the police were aware of Badgujar’s links with the double murder case. An inquiry has been ordered into the incident, he said, adding that they would also find out why Badgujar was away from his second-floor post.

The daring dual murder sent shock waves through the city police with senior officials rushing to the court building. Dismissing suggestions that Badgujar — who worked at the same telephone booth as Parmar before joining the police force as a constable a couple of years ago — had followed up Desai’s killing with Chaudhary’s to suppress evidence, Singh said, “It seems to be a clear-cut case of a lover killing the murderer of his beloved”.