HC commutes death sentence to former ACP Tyagi

New Delhi, Mar 5 (UNI) The Delhi High Court today commuted the death sentence to retired Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) R P Tyagi to 8 years rigorous imprisonment.

The Sessions Court had sentenced him to death for having caused the death of Mahinder Kumar and Ram Kumar in the Vivek Vihar police station in 1987.

Hearing Tyagi's petition, a Division Bench of Justice Mukul Mudgal and Justice P K Bhasin awarded him 8 years RI and a fine of Rs 200,000.

The Bench also acquitted K P Singh, earlier sentenced to 3 years imprisonment. Singh was an alleged accomplice of Tyagi. Besides, it reduced the three-year imprisonment to former Sub-Inspector and another of Tyagi's alleged accomplices Tej Singh to six months and a fine of Rs 5,000.

Additional Sessions Judge Rajinder Kumar had termed the offence "rarest of rare" and convicted Tyagi under Sections 302 (murder), 342 (wrongful confinement) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC.

Although the lower court had absolved K P Singh and Tej Singh of the murder charges, yet it found them guilty of protecting Tyagi and destruction of evidence.

According to the prosecution, the victims entered into a scuffle with a constable posted at Circular Road, Vivek Vihar in East Delhi during the Janmasthami celebrations on August 16, 1987.

Later, a case of assaulting a policeman was lodged against them.

The cops arrested their family members and neighbours to force their surrender.

Subsequently, both the victims were taken into custody. The then ACP R P Tyagi allegedly got the police to torture the victims to death.

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