Soumya Vishwanathan was fatally shot on her way home from work.
New Delhi:
In a recent development, the Delhi High Court has granted bail to four individuals who were previously convicted and serving life sentences in the case involving the murder of television journalist Soumya Vishwanathan.
A panel comprising Justices Suresh Kumar Kait and Manoj Jain decided to suspend the sentences of Ravi Kapoor, Amit Shukla, Baljeet Singh Malik, and Ajay Kumar while their appeals challenging the conviction and sentencing are pending.
The court acknowledged that the four convicts have spent 14 years in custody.
Following a directive on January 23, the Delhi Police has been asked to provide a response to the appeals filed by the aforementioned convicts.
Soumya Vishwanathan, an employee of a prominent English news channel, was fatally shot in the early hours of September 30, 2008, on Nelson Mandela Marg in south Delhi while she was driving home from work.
In a separate ruling on November 26, 2023, a special court sentenced Ravi Kapoor, Amit Shukla, Baljeet Malik, and Ajay Kumar to two life terms under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 3(1)(i) of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) for engaging in organized crime resulting in a person’s death.
The court specified that the sentences would run consecutively.
Another convict, Ajay Sethi, received a three-year simple imprisonment term under section 411 of the IPC. However, the court offset this sentence against the time already served by Sethi, considering his 14-year incarceration and trial for offenses related to organized crime.
During the hearing, Kapoor’s lawyer highlighted his client’s nearly 15-year custody and requested the court to suspend the sentence pending the appeal. A similar plea was made by advocate Amit Kumar, representing Shukla, Malik, and Ajay Kumar.
In addition to the life imprisonment terms, Kapoor, Shukla, Malik, and Kumar were each fined Rs 1.25 lakh, while Sethi was fined Rs 7.25 lakh.
Notably, the high court recently rejected Kapoor’s request for parole, citing the severity of his crimes.
Among the convicted individuals, Kapoor, Shukla, and Malik were also found guilty of the murder of IT professional Jigisha Ghosh. They later confessed to the police their involvement in Vishwanathan’s murder, with the murder weapon being recovered from their possession.
The Delhi Police stated that the motive behind Vishwanathan’s murder was robbery.
In the case of the 2009 Jigisha Ghosh murder, the trial court had sentenced Kapoor and Shukla to death and Malik to life imprisonment. However, the high court commuted the death penalty to life imprisonment for Kapoor and Shukla, while upholding Malik’s life sentence.
According to the prosecution, Kapoor shot Vishwanathan with a locally made pistol during an attempt to rob her while she was driving. Shukla, Kumar, and Malik were also present during the incident.
The vehicle used in the crime was recovered by the police from Sethi, also known as Chacha.