NRI Sanjay Kanda cleared for manslaughter of another NRI

 

London, March 07, 2007
Sant Parkash
NRI press

 

NRI Sanjay Kanda, accountant, 23, of Ranelagh Road, Southall was cleared of all murder charges when he was accused of killing a guest Makhan Singh at a family party on the evening of Jan 21, 2006 last year.

Hundreds of people attended the party at the Heston Community Centre in Vicarage Farm Road, Heston, Middlesex. Sanjay Kanda's brother-in-law Jatinder Rana, who had organised the event, said he had been worried about his relatives having too much of the free drink.

When the bar closed at 11.30pm, a dispute broke out between Mr Kanda and his cousins, who were born in Britain, and the host Jatinder Rana and his friends, who had been born in India.

Makhan Singh, who worked as part time job for Mr Rana, was then seen confronting Sanjay Kanda in the car park of the community centre at around 1am.

Rana said, "Makhan moved forward towards Sanjay and Sanjay quickly gave him three to five punches to the face. Makhan fell on the road with straight back. He was not moving and even talking.

Ambulance came and after five minutes of treatment, he was able to get out and get in a car to go back to a friend's home, the court heard.

Mr Rana said, " Kanda was wearing very nice expensive clothes, took off his shirt and flashing his muscles like the bodybuilders."

Makhan Singh died on Monday 23. Doctors said that Singh had suffered brain haemorrhage as a result of hitting his head on the ground. Mr Kanda denied manslaughter throughout the trial.

Mr Kanda, who had been on conditional bail, was discharged from court and celebrated his acquittal in the pub opposite the Old Bailey.

It took one year to court and last week found that Kanda only punched Singh in self-defence and it was not a case of murder.