New Delhi: In a verdict which could raise eyebrows, the Allahabad High Court has granted bail to a retired Indian Information Service (IIS) officer accused of murdering his wife at their Noida residence.
A bench of Justice Siddharth noted that the accused, Nitin Nath Singh, is a senior citizen and not a hardened criminal who could pose any threat to the safety of society. The bench also took into account that he has sufficient assets and is not at flight risk.
Renu Sinha, who was an advocate at Delhi High Court, was found dead in the bathroom of her bungalow in Sector-30, Noida, on September 10, 2023.
After she didn’t respond to calls for more than 24 hours, her journalist brother Ajay Kumar filed a complaint with police.
On reaching the bungalow with a friend, Kumar found the house locked. Police had to break open the door, and her body was found with multiple injuries.
Post-mortem confirmed death by manual strangulation.
Her missing husband was discovered around 15 hours later, hiding inside a storeroom of the same house.
CCTV footage and witnesses accounts indicated that Singh had not left the premises.
Singh reportedly stocked the storeroom with cigarettes and water, remaining inside as police, sniffer dogs and a search team combed the bungalow.
When the case was heard in court, the prosecution claimed that Singh and his wife were involved in a property dispute. They had entered into a Rs 4.5-crore sale agreement for their Noida bungalow, and received Rs 55 lakh as advance.
Renu, however, opposed the deal later, after coming to know that Singh had already received Rs 3 crore. It led to intense arguments, which escalated and led to her murder.
Domestic helps testified about Singh’s strained relationship with his wife and son.
Back in 2016, Renu had filed an FIR against her husband for domestic violence.
Police also flagged Singh’s dual passports — Indian and British.
According to Singh’s counsel, Renu’s brother Kumar, who was the informant, hatched a conspiracy and wanted the property transferred to his name. Singh’s arrest was allegedly ‘manipulated’, but he was cooperating with the authorities.