HC grants bail to accused in Aligarh bike showroom owner murder case

Prayagraj: The Allahabad high court on Monday granted conditional bail to a key accused in the 2025 murder case of Aligarh bike showroom owner Abhishek Gupta.Justice Arun Kumar Singh Deshwal allowed the bail application of Pooja Shakun Pandey, also known as former Mahamandaleshwar Annapurna Bharti, directing her to cooperate with the ongoing investigation and trial.Gupta was shot dead on Sept 26, 2025. As per the FIR lodged the next day, two bike-borne assailants opened fire at Gupta while he was travelling on a bus. Police alleged that Pandey and her husband were part of the conspiracy behind the murder.The prosecution submitted that there were 11 calls made from Pandey’s phone to the mobile number of co-accused Faizal.However, Pandey’s counsel argued that apart from the call detail records, no conclusive evidence linked her to the alleged conspiracy.In its order, the high court noted that the role of causing firearm injuries was specifically attributed to co-accused Faizal and Asif, who were also identified in CCTV footage. Firearms were recovered on their pointing out. The court observed that only the role of conspiracy was assigned to Pandey, without conclusive material establishing her involvement.“Since the applicant is a woman and keeping in view the evidence placed on record, and without expressing any opinion on the merits of the case, the applicant is entitled to be enlarged on bail,” the court said.