Soumya Vishwanathan murder case: Four convicts sentenced to life imprisonment

A Delhi court on Saturday sentenced four men to life imprisonment in the 2008 case related to the murder of TV journalist Soumya Vishwanathan.

"It is unfortunate that victim Saumya Vishwanathan, a young, dynamic, and hardworking journalist, lost her life due to the actions of the convicts Ravi Kapoor, Amit Shukla, Baljeet Singh Malik, and Ajay Kumar while she was returning after completing her night shift from her office in the early morning of September 30, 2008," Additional Sessions Judge Ravindra Kumar Pandey said.

The court awarded another Ajay Sethi a three-year jail term. Sethi, who has remained in jail for over 14 years, was sentenced to the period already undergone for offences under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act.

In its order, the bench found that the case did not fall into the category of the rarest of rare cases that would call for the death penalty.

The court highlighted the threats faced by women, stating that their empowerment in the workforce would gain momentum if their safety is assured during their daily commute.

"One of the reasons for the decline in the women workforce is that women face a higher risk of harassment, abuse, and assault while travelling to the workplace from their home and from the workplace to their home," the court said.

As per an ILO Report, 52% of women in India express a desire to work either in paid jobs or in both paid jobs and care for families and home, but India's female work participation rate has declined over the past two decades, dropping from 32% in 2005 to 19% in 2021, it pointed out.

In its order last month, the court had said that the prosecution had duly proved beyond all reasonable doubt that accused Ravi Kapoor and his other associates, co-accused Amit Shukla, Ajay Kumar, and Baljeet Malik, had committed the murder of the deceased/victim Vishwanathan with the intention to rob her.

The court also recommended the Delhi Legal Services Authority award adequate compensation to the family of the victim under Section 357 of the Criminal Procedure Code. It also directed the payment of substantial fine amounts imposed on the convicts to the victim.

The incident, which occurred on September 30, 2008, between 03:25 am to 03:55 am at Nelson Mandela Marg Road at posh Vasant Vihar here, shocked the nation.

The four accused were held guilty and convicted for charges punishable under Sections 302 and 34 of the IPC.

Another accused, Sethi, was convicted of the offence of retaining the stolen Wagon R Car used by all the accused in chasing the victim on the fateful night.

All five accused were also convicted of various offences under the Maharashtra Organised Crime Control Act, as the prosecution proved they indulged in organised crimes for their living.

"The prosecution has also duly proved beyond all reasonable doubt that accused Ajay Sethi abetted or knowingly facilitated the commission of organised crime by the organised crime syndicate led by accused Ravi Kapoor having its other members/co-accused Amit Shukla, Baljeet Malik, Ajay Kumar," the court said.

Initially, the case was believed to be a car accident until forensic reports disclosed her cause of death as a gunshot wound to the head.

The five men convicted by the court have been in custody since March 2009. They were represented by advocate Amit Kumar and others.

According to the police, the journalist's murder case was cracked after the recovery of the weapon used in another case in which an IT executive, Jigisha Ghosh, was murdered.