Soumya Vishwanathan murder: 4 convicts handed life imprisonment, three-year sentence for fifth

A Delhi court handed life sentences to Ravi Kapoor, Amit Shukla, Baljeet Malik, and Ajay Kumar for the 2008 murder of TV journalist Soumya Vishwanathan. The conviction, under IPC Section 302 and MCOCA, followed a shift from initial robbery motives to murder charges after forensic evidence

A Delhi court on Saturday handed life terms to Ravi Kapoor, Amit Shukla, Baljeet Malik, and Ajay Kumar subsequent to their conviction in the 2008 murder case of TV journalist Soumya Vishwanathan. The sentencing, presided over by Additional Sessions Judge Ravindra Kumar Pandey, came after the conclusion of arguments on the severity of the punishment. The court also handed a three-year term and Rs 5 lakh punishment for the remaining fifth convict, Ajay Sethi.

The quartet, namely Kapoor, Shukla, Malik, and Kumar, had been found guilty on October 18 under IPC Section 302 (murder) and relevant provisions of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). Soumya Vishwanathan, an employee of a leading English news channel, met her untimely demise on September 30, 2008, as she was shot on Nelson Mandela Marg in south Delhi while returning home from work.

Initially deemed a robbery, forensic evidence revealed a fatal gunshot wound to Vishwanathan's head, prompting a shift to a murder investigation. The case encountered a breakthrough six months later with the arrest of Kapoor and Shukla, who were implicated in the murder of call centre executive Jigisha Ghosh.

Jigisha Ghosh, aged 28 and serving as an operations manager, faced abduction and murder on March 18, 2009, in South Delhi. Kapoor and Shukla, during their interrogation, not only admitted to Ghosh's murder but also confessed to their involvement in the killing of Soumya Vishwanathan.

The prosecution sought the maximum possible sentence for the convicted individuals. Post-verdict, Special Commissioner of Police, Delhi, HGS Dhaliwal expressed satisfaction, acknowledging the complexities of securing convictions based on circumstantial evidence in murder cases. He emphasized the team's persistent efforts and the challenges faced in bringing resolution to the case.