Delhi Court convicts five accused in journalist Soumya Vishwanathan murder

Update (October 18, 3:12 PM): Delhi’s Saket Court convicted five accused in Delhi journalist Soumya Vishwanathan murder case.

According to the sources, court has convicted four accused Ravi Kapoor, Amit Shukla, Ajay Kumar and Baljeet Malik under MCOCA provisions. Court convicts fifth accused Ajay Sethi for receiving stolen property and helping others.

While speaking to media persons after court verdict, journalist Soumya Vishwanathan’s mother said, “We demand life term for convicts, they should suffer what we went through.”

Journalist Soumya Vishwanathan’s murder: Verdict to be out today

After a staggering incident that was unfolded 15 years back, Delhi’s Saket Court is all set to announce the verdict in the Soumya Vishwanathan murder case on Wednesday. The case has been marked by a prolonged legal battle and justice.

It took almost 13 years for the prosecution to present all the evidence before the Court in the case, after the arrest was made in March 2009, when a similar incident of murder of MNC employee Jigisha Ghosh was unfolded. According to the sources, the trail in the case began in February 2010, which is expected to conclude today at the Saket Court.

A background:

Soumya Vishwanathan, a journalist with the Headlines Today news channel, was discovered dead in her car near Vasant Kunj in South Delhi on September 30, 2008, and her death was initially attributed to a traffic accident.

According to forensic reports, she died as a result of a bullet wound to the head, prompting a murder investigation. During the investigation, it was revealed that Vishwanathan was returning home late at night from her office. They assumed she was being pursued and that the shot was fired from another moving car.

CCTV footage showed that a maroon car tracking Soumya’s movement in the city. To acquire more evidence, Mumbai-based crime branch teams were called in, and a thorough search operation was performed in the vicinity.

In March 2009, Delhi police detained two suspects, Ravi Kapoor and Amit Shukla, for their participation in another case involving the death of Jigisha Ghosh, a call centre executive.

During the encounter, Kapoor and Shukla admit to killing Soumya as well, characterising it as a “thrilling activity.” The maroon car seen in the CCTV footage was also utilised in both murders, according to the investigation.

A Delhi High Court Bench of Justices S Murlidhar and IS Mehta in January 2019 reduced the death sentence awarded to convicts Ravi Kapoor and Amit Shukla in the MNC professional Jigisha Ghosh murder case to life imprisonment.