On Wednesday, a Delhi court handed down a verdict, declaring five individuals guilty in connection with the 2008 murder case of journalist Soumya Vishwanathan.
Ravinder Kumar Pandey, an Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) presiding over Saket Court, ruled that Ravi Kapoor, Amit Shukla, Ajay Kumar, and Baljeet Malik had intentionally taken the life of Soumya Vishwanathan with the motive of robbing her. The court established their guilt with a high degree of certainty and convicted them under Sections 302 (murder) and 34 (offense committed with a common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Additionally, they were also found to be in violation of Section 3(1)(i) of the Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act (MCOCA).
Concurrently, another accused individual, Ajay Sethi, was found guilty of offenses under Section 411 (dishonestly receiving stolen property) of the IPC and Sections 3(2) and 3(5) of MCOCA.
A comprehensive judgment will be issued at a later date.
Soumya Vishwanathan, a journalist associated with India Today, was discovered deceased in her vehicle in Vasant Kunj in September 2008. Forensic reports indicated that her demise resulted from a gunshot wound to the head. According to law enforcement, Vishwanathan was returning home late at night from her workplace when she was pursued and shot.
The turning point in this case occurred in March 2009 when the police apprehended two suspects, Ravi Kapoor and Amit Shukla, in connection with a different case. In their disclosure statements, they confessed to their involvement in the murder. The chargesheet for this case was submitted in June 2010. Subsequently, the court concluded the hearing of arguments in the case on June 19, 2016. Nevertheless, the pronouncement of the judgment had been delayed several times until it was finally delivered today.
