TODAY (12 FEB 2024), the Delhi High Court suspended the life sentence of Soumya Vishwanathan’s killers until a decision is reached on their appeal against conviction, effectively granting bail to the four convicts. Soumya Vishwanathan was a journalist working with India Today. She was found dead in her car in Vasant Kunj in September 2008.
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The Delhi High Court Today (Monday) suspended the life sentence of the individuals convicted for the murder of 25-year-old journalist Soumya Vishwanathan until a decision is reached on their appeal against the conviction. Consequently, Ravi Kapoor, Amit Shukla, Ajay Kumar, and Baljeet Malik, the four convicts, were granted bail.
A Division Bench of Justices Suresh Kumar Kait and Girish Kathpalia, stated that the sentence would remain suspended during the pendency of their appeal and acknowledged that they have been incarcerated for 14 years.
Last month, the four convicts moved the Delhi High Court, challenging their conviction and life sentence in the case. Later, it asked the police to respond to the appeals. A bench of Justices Suresh Kumar Kait and Manoj Jain issued a notice to the police on the appeals by the convicts.
On October 18, 2023, the four accused were convicted for the murder of Soumya Vishwanathan by Delhi’s Saket Court. Subsequently, on November 24, 2023, they were sentenced to life imprisonment. Another accused, Ajay Sethi, received a three-year prison term.
Soumya Vishwanathan, a journalist employed with India Today, was discovered dead in her car in Vasant Kunj in September 2008. Forensic examinations revealed a fatal bullet wound to her head. The police reported that Vishwanathan was returning home late at night from her office when she was pursued and shot.
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The case saw a breakthrough in March 2009 when Ravi Kapoor and Amit Shukla were arrested by the police in connection with another incident. In their disclosure statements, they admitted to Vishwanathan’s murder.
The trial court found Kapoor, Shukla, Kumar, and Malik guilty of Vishwanathan’s murder under Sections 302 (murder) and 34 (offence committed with common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Additionally, all four were convicted under Section 3(1)(i) of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).
Meanwhile, Sethi was convicted under Section 411 (dishonestly receiving stolen property) of the IPC and Section 3(2) and 3(5) of MCOCA.
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