Delhi court acquits former MLA Ranbir Singh Kharb, wife Anita Kharb in cheating case

A Delhi court acquitted former MLA Ranbir Singh Kharb and his wife Anita Kharb in a 2006 cheating case involving their company, M/s Jyoti Fair Finance. The trial court had convicted them under Sections 420 (cheating) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC, sentencing them to seven years in prison and a ₹22 lakh fine. However, the additional sessions judge Kaveri Baweja overturned this verdict, citing glaring contradictions and discrepancies in the evidence. The sessions court found that the prosecution failed to prove the Kharbs’ guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, noting inconsistencies in both documentary and oral evidence. The court highlighted that the money taken from a witness was documented as a loan, not an investment, and criticized the non-examination of a handwriting expert. Additionally, the court questioned why the company was not arrayed as an accused. The appellate court concluded that the Kharbs could not be convicted given the numerous discrepancies in the case.