3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Jul 4, 2026 07:12 PM IST
A Delhi court on Saturday sentenced Bihar BJP MLA Raju Kumar Singh to four years in prison in a case of celebratory firing inside his farmhouse in South Delhi’s Fatehpur Beri on New Year’s Eve in 2018. The firing had led to the death of a 45-year-old woman.
“We need neither a Singham nor a Pushpa in a state governed by the rule of law. The brazen act of firing by Raju Kumar Singh was, however, an inspiration to both such aspirations,” said Special Judge Vishal Gogne of Rouse Avenue Court in his order.
“…the court finds it quite foreseeable that such acts of firing by a MLA embolden others to emulate such conduct in similar or even larger measure. The rank and file of those who seek macho gratification with the imagery of guns being fired would include not only the lawless criminals but also uniform clad protectors of the law,” he added.
Judge Gogne also said that Singh will pay Rs 25 lakh as compensation to the victim’s family.
Singh was convicted under Section 304 (II) (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the IPC and under Section 30 of the Arms Act (punishment for contravention of licence or rule) on June 6.
During a New Year’s Eve gathering at his farmhouse at Ambedkar Colony’s Rose Farm, Singh had fired gunshots in the air, which hit a woman named Archana Gupta. She died during treatment at a hospital.
“Such display and use of weapons by a MLA conveys to criminals that a gun is a weapon of choice, flaunting and assertion. Considering that certain states in India are known to harbor illicit production facilities for local firearms, the sight of a MLA acting like a strongman by untrammeled use of firearms, even on social occasions, encourages an ecosystem of illicit firearms,” Judge Gogne said in the order.
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“…many an aspiring gang leader or strong man has stepped into politics in our nation on the strength of the gun, earning thereby the notorious sobriquet of Bahubali. In his zeal to be seen as gun wielding politician, the conduct of the convict not only betrays the public trust of his constituents but also encourages a general subscription to his conduct by criminal elements,” he added.
The prosecution had examined 33 witnesses, among whom seven were eyewitnesses. Primarily, three eyewitnesses supported the charge against Singh – Vikas Gupta, the husband of the deceased and the complainant in the case, Vikas’ cousin Puneet Gupta and Puneet’s wife Shikha Gupta.
