A Delhi court has acquitted a man accused of stealing household items from a Member of Parliament's official bungalow in the high-security Lutyens' zone in 2019. Delivering the verdict, the court held that the prosecution failed to establish the criminal allegations beyond a reasonable doubt. The case centered around an alleged break-in and theft at an official residence situated on Dr. Rajendra Prasad Road in Delhi, from which several domestic utility items were reported missing.
Detailed Allegations of Theft from Lutyens Delhi MP Residence
According to the prosecution's case, the incident took place in the early morning hours of July 21, 2019. It was alleged that an unauthorized entry was made into the bungalow allocated to an MP on Dr. Rajendra Prasad Road, following which multiple household items were stolen. The missing items listed in the complaint included an air cooler, a computer, a monitor, window and door curtains, kitchen utensils, mattresses, and plastic chairs. Following the complaint, an FIR was registered at the Parliament House police station, initiating a formal investigation. Subsequently, law enforcement authorities claimed to have recovered one air cooler, three plastic chairs, and one mattress from the possession of the accused, identified as Neeraj Kumar Singh, a resident of Khagaria district in Bihar.
Key Witness Memory Loss and Lack of Direct Evidence
The trial was conducted in the court of Judicial Magistrate Kautuk Bhardwaj. The prosecution's case suffered a major setback during the evidentiary proceedings when the primary eyewitness and complainant failed to support the initial allegations. In its judgment delivered on August 24, the court noted that the complainant took the stand and testified that he had no recollection whatsoever of the alleged incident. Another witness produced by the prosecution stated that Neeraj Kumar Singh was employed as a driver for the then MP and was present on the bungalow premises consuming alcohol on the day of the alleged crime.
Evaluating this testimony, the court observed that the main witness had received information regarding Singh's alleged involvement from a third party. The judicial magistrate reasoned that once the primary complainant resiled from his original statement, hearsay information relayed by another person carried no independent evidentiary value. Furthermore, the prosecution failed to produce any direct eyewitness who had personally observed the accused committing the theft or illegally entering the MP's residential premises.
Unproven Property Ownership and Failed Recovery Identification
The court also expressed serious reservations regarding the prosecution's claims surrounding the recovered property. Judicial Magistrate Kautuk Bhardwaj highlighted that no eyewitness was brought forward to verify that the cooler, chairs, and mattress seized from the accused were the exact articles reported stolen from the residence on July 21, 2019. The court reiterated the legal principle that a conviction cannot be sustained solely on the basis of a disclosure statement made by an accused while in police custody without independent corroboration.
In addition, the court identified a crucial investigative flaw, noting that the prosecution failed to prove that the recovered items constituted government property belonging to the Central Public Works Department (CPWD). No official or representative from CPWD was shown photographs of the seized articles to formally identify them as government assets registered with the department.
Final Judicial Findings Leading to Complete Acquittal
Concluding the proceedings, the court ruled that the prosecution had failed to fulfill its legal burden of proving house-trespass or lurking house-trespass with the intent to commit theft. In the absence of conclusive proof and given the material gaps in the witness testimony and property identification, Judicial Magistrate Kautuk Bhardwaj acquitted Neeraj Kumar Singh of all charges.
