Verdict in Delhi journalist Soumya Vishwanathan’s murder case to be out today
Fifteen years after the murder of India Today Group journalist Soumya Vishwanathan, Delhi’s Saket Court is set to pronounce the verdict in the case today.
After the arrest of the accused in March 2009, it took the prosecution over 13 years to present all the evidence before the Court in the case. The trial that began in February 2010, will conclude today as the case is expected to reach its closure at the Saket Court.
Here’s a recap of the murder case of the journalist that sent shockwaves through Delhi in 2008:
On September 30, 2008, Soumya Vishwanathan, a journalist with the newly launched Headlines Today news channel, was found dead in her car near Vasant Kunj area in South Delhi, initially thought to be the result of a car accident.
Forensic reports indicated she died due to a bullet wound in her head, thus initiating a murder investigation.
Police findings suggested she was returning home late at night from her office. They suspected she was chased, and the shot was possibly fired from another moving vehicle.
CCTV footage traced Soumya’s movements in the area, and revealed a maroon car following hers. Mumbai-based crime branch teams were called in, and a thorough search operation was conducted in the area to gather more evidence.
In March 2009, Delhi police arrested two suspects, Ravi Kapoor and Amit Shukla, for their involvement in another case – the murder of call centre executive Jigisha Ghosh.
During the confrontation, Kapoor and Shukla confess to the murder of Soumya too, describing it as a ‘thrilling activity’. The investigation also revealed the maroon car seen in the CCTV footage was used in both murders.
In June 2010, Delhi Police filed a charge sheet implicating Ravi Kapoor, Amit Shukla, and two other suspects, Baljeet Malik and Ajay Sethi, in the murder. The trial proceedings in the Soumya case started on November 16, 2010, in Saket Court.
Key forensic evidence, including the matching of bullets with the firearm owned by the killers, surveillance footage, and the confession of the accused were presented during the lengthy trial.
The defense argued about the ‘confession under duress’ and ‘reliability of forensic evidence’, trying to put holes in the narrative presented by the prosecution.
On July 19, 2016, Saket Court concluded hearing in the case and reserved its order for the next hearing. Since then, the judgement was deferred several times due to various legal complications.
On October 18, 2023, after a protracted legal battle and careful examination of all the circumstantial evidence, the Saket Court in Delhi will announce its verdict against the four accused.