Kailash Hills dermatologist killed house help over not following orders: Chargesheet

A 50-year-old dermatologist allegedly killed his domestic help after becoming enraged that she only prioritised his wife’s instructions over his demands that she clean his clinic, the Delhi Police said in a charge sheet filed on Monday in the June murder in southeast Delhi’s Kailash Hills, rejecting his initial defence of a “mental-health history”

The 340-page chargesheet was filed before Saket judicial magistrate first class Deepika Thakran, with the matter fixed for consideration of cognisance on September 18.

Manish Gupta, who ran a dermatology clinic adjoining his flat at Mount Kailash Apartments, was arrested on June 18 for allegedly beating and murdering his 45-year-old domestic help, Meena Haldar. The chargesheet, a copy of which has been seen by HT, said Gupta had been unhappy with Haldar for some time and had repeatedly asked his wife to remove her from employment.

“His wife continued to retain Haldar because of their long association and emotional bond... accused felt Haldar refused to listen to him and only gave preference to his wife’s instructions,” police said.

To substantiate this allegation, police recorded the statement of Haldar’s son, who allegedly told investigators that “his mother had complained that Gupta was frequently dissatisfied with her work and often scolded her”.

The charge sheet also addresses the defence raised by Gupta and his family that he had been undergoing treatment for mental-health issues and had taken antidepressants for several years.

“Psychiatric evaluation of accused was conducted and past medical records and prescriptions were examined. No concrete proof of any recent behavioural change was found,” the chargesheet said.

Gupta had told investigators that he was distressed over his son’s studies, but police said no conclusive evidence had emerged linking this to the offence.

According to the chargesheet, Gupta first struck Haldar on the head with a cricket bat inside a terrace storeroom before chasing her onto the terrace and allegedly stabbing her six times in the neck with a knife. Police said the entire attack lasted nearly a minute.

According to the police, Haldar had worked for Gupta’s family for around 16 years and came to their home for routine work at around 10.30am on June 18. Gupta’s wife, police said, had left for work at 10am at her Ayurvedic clinic in Karol Bagh while their 18-year-old son was asleep in his room, the chargesheet said.

Police alleged Gupta asked Haldar to clean his adjoining dermatology clinic because customers were expected to arrive by 11am. When he returned a few minutes later and found the clinic still unclean, he allegedly became furious and reprimanded her.

The charge sheet said Gupta then asked Haldar to clean the terrace storeroom. He was allegedly waiting inside, “where a cricket bat and an old knife were kept”.

When Haldar entered, Gupta allegedly struck her on the head with the bat. “When she managed to flee the room, Gupta allegedly followed her onto the terrace and stabbed her six times in the neck,” the charge sheet said.

Police said the weapons had not been procured specifically for the murder. The bat had allegedly been owned by Gupta for several years, while the knife was an antique he had bought from a shop in Old Delhi several years ago.

At around 11.40am, a neighbour allegedly spotted Haldar lying in a pool of blood on the terrace and made the first PCR call. Gupta was subsequently arrested from his apartment and booked for murder at Amar Colony police station.

The charge sheet names 43 witnesses and relies substantially on circumstantial evidence. Among the key witnesses is a neighbour who allegedly saw the attack from the ninth floor of the building.

Police have also alleged that blood recovered from Gupta’s clothes matched Haldar’s blood. Gupta remains in judicial custody.

Gupta’s counsel, advocate Kamal Nayan Tiwari, told HT, “The police had earlier alleged black magic and now the theory of a dispute of Gupta with his wife over employment of the domestic help has come up. These are false theories by the police and the reality is that they are not able to trace the actual culprit.”

He added that there are multiple entries and exit points at the terrace where the body was found and “no eyewitness has said that Gupta had committed the murder”. “The recoveries by police as well are planted,” the counsel claimed, adding that Gupta is receiving regular treatment from the jail’s internal mental health and psychiatry unit.

The killing was the second high-profile murder in Kailash Hills in months, following the April 22 rape and murder of the daughter of an IRS officer, allegedly by her 19-year-old former domestic help.

- Arnabjit Sur is a Senior Correspondent with Hindustan Times who primarily covers stories from the capital's trial courts. Previously, he has worked for English dailies such as The Hindu, Indian Express and Millennium Post, where he has focused on crime and legal stories, especially incorporating both the subjects into producing long-form investigative work. Known for his penchant for minutely tracking high-profile cases with both city and national relevance, he has broken several chargesheets and police remand papers in his six-year-long career. In this present role, he uses his expertise in skimming through lengthy judgements, attending and analysing court hearings and converting them into a lucid, readable format for seamless news consumption. He has a preference for looking beyond the courtroom to highlight their human impact.Read More