Bail granted to Pooja Shakun Pandey in Abhishek Gupta Murder Case by Allahabad high court

The Allahabad High Court has granted conditional bail to Pooja Shakun Pandey in connection with the high-profile murder of Abhishek Gupta. The order was passed by Justice Arun Kumar Singh Deshwal , who directed the accused to fully cooperate with the ongoing investigation and trial.

The case dates back to September 26, 2025 , when Gupta, a bike showroom owner from Aligarh, was shot dead by two assailants while travelling on a bus. According to the FIR, the attackers arrived on a motorcycle and opened fire, killing him on the spot.

The prosecution alleged that Pandey, also known as former Mahamandaleshwar Annapurna Bharti, along with her husband, was involved in a conspiracy to murder Gupta. It cited call detail records showing multiple calls made from her phone to co-accused Faizal a day after the incident as evidence of her alleged involvement.

However, the defence argued that apart from these call records, there was no concrete evidence directly linking her to the conspiracy. The court noted that the primary role of executing the crime was attributed to co-accused Faizal and Asif, who were identified through CCTV footage and linked to the recovery of firearms.

Observing the lack of conclusive material against Pandey and considering other factors, including her gender, the court granted bail without expressing any opinion on the merits of the case. The trial and investigation in the matter continue.