Himachal: life imprisonment to IG &7 other police personnel in Kotkhai custodial death case

In the infamous Gudia rape and murder case of Himachal Pradesh, eight police officers and personnel, including former Inspector General of Police Zahur Haider Zaidi, have been sentenced to life imprisonment for the custodial murder of the accused, Suraj. The CBI court in Chandigarh issued this order.

This is possibly the first time in the history of Himachal Pradesh that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) conducting an investigation has been sentenced to life imprisonment



by the court. The Gudia rape and murder case, which occurred in July 2017 in Kotkhai, Shimla district, had shaken the entire state. 

The court found that the accused, Suraj, died due to a custodial beating by the police. In light of this, the court convicted former IGP Zahur Haider Zaidi and eight other police officials and personnel, sentencing them to life imprisonment. Additionally, each convict has been fined ₹1 lakh.