CBI Court Convicts Shimla IG and Others in Gudia Case After Seven Years
Chandigarh/Shimla, January 18, 2025: In a landmark verdict, the CBI court in Chandigarh convicted eight policemen, including Shimla’s former Inspector General of Police (IG) Zahur Haider Zaidi, in the infamous Gudia rape and murder case from 2017.
The case had sent shockwaves across the country due to allegations of police misconduct and the custodial death of a key suspect.
The incident dates back to July 4, 2017, when a schoolgirl Hilaila village in Kotkhai, a town 58 kilometers from Shimla, went missing.
Two days later, her body was discovered in the nearby Dandi forest in bad condition near Hilaila village, sparking public outrage.
The police formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT), which arrested five suspects, including Suraj, a Nepali laborer.
However, on July 18, 2017, Suraj died in police custody at the Kotkhai police station under suspicious circumstances.
The custodial death triggered widespread protests and forced the Himachal Pradesh government to hand over the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The CBI’s probe revealed shocking details of police brutality and a deliberate attempt to botch the investigation, claimed CBI.
The court found IG Zahur Haider Zaidi and seven other police personnel—Deep Chand Sharma, Mohan Lal, Surat Singh, Manoj Joshi, Rajinder Singh, Rafi Mohammad, and Ranjeet Singh Satehta—guilty of custodial murder.
However, the court acquitted SP Dandup Wangyal Negi, citing insufficient evidence.
Following the verdict, all convicted policemen were taken into custody.
CBI had arrested a Charani, as an accused in the rape and murder of Gudia case who is still in jail
The court has scheduled the sentencing for January 27, 2025.
The case is seen as a significant step toward accountability within law enforcement agencies.
Public outrage over the incident, including protests across Himachal Pradesh, had highlighted the urgent need for justice in the Gudia case.
The CBI court’s decision marks a critical chapter in the seven-year-long struggle for justice for Gudia and her family.
