Bollywood
Gulshan Kumar Murder Case: The Bombay High Court Acquits Tips' Owner Ramesh Taurani From All Chargers
Mumbai, July 1, 2021: The Bombay High Court today delivered the judgment in the murder case of T-Series owner, Gulshan Kumar, who was brutally killed in broad daylight on August 12, 1997. Ramesh Taurani, the owner of the music label Tips Industries Limited, was one of the accused with music director Nadeem Akhtar Saifee (of Nadeem-Shravan fame) in the case. ## Taurani was charged with allegedly conspiring with Saifee by hiring Dubai mafioso Abu Salem to carry out the murder. He was also charged for paying Nadeem a sum of Rs 2.5 million to carry out the execution. Taurani was arrested by Bombay's crime branch for 'abetting' music magnate Gulshan Kumar's murder but was later granted bail after being imprisoned. ## Five years later, in 2002, the sessions court dropped all charges against him. After his acquittal in the lower court, the State of Maharashtra then appealed in the High Court which has now been dismissed by the court after 19 years when a division bench of Justices Sadhana Jadhav and NR Borkar delivered a judgment today (July 1) and acquitted him from all chargers. ## Taurani called it a triumph of the truth after he got relief in the Gulshan Kumar murder case. "The appeal has been dismissed and my family and I happy and relieved. I was expecting the verdict. I had to go through a long ordeal that was not required. It has been almost 25 years and I have gone through a lot of trouble. I got my acquittal in 2002 but since then there have been so many appeals. The sessions court had given a detailed order so I felt that it was unnecessary to bring it up in the High Court. The judiciary is already burdened so I believe this was stretched too far", Taurani said (via News 18). ## Meanwhile, the Bombay High Court upheld the conviction of Abdul Rauf Merchant in the murder case. He was an aide of gangster Dawood Ibrahim and was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2002 for Gulshan Kumar's murder in 1997. While delivering the judgment in the Gulshan Kumar murder case, the high court bench noted that Abdul Rauf Merchant had "criminal antecedents".## The bench said, "He is not entitled to remission as he absconded right after his arrest. He was released on furlough in 2009. His conviction continued as he fled parole and continued with his criminal activities. Hence in the interest of justice at large, he does not deserve any leniency". ## The bench, in its order, stated that they upheld the conviction and sentence passed against Abdul Rauf Dawood Merchant under section 302, 307 of IPC by the judgment of sessions court judge dated April 29, 2002. They also added that he is also convicted for the section under section 120-B of IPC. The bench said that he is acquitted of charges under sections 392 (Robbery) and 397 (Robbery or dacoity in attempt to cause death) of IPC.## Stay tuned...
