Court refuses death penalty, awards life term to 4 in Soumya murder case

Tribune News Service

Samad Hoque

New Delhi, November 25

Fifteen years after the murder of TV journalist Soumya Vishwanathan, a Delhi Court on Saturday announced the quantum of punishment to five convicts in the September 2008 case.

Amit Shukla, Baljeet Malik, Ravi Kapoor and Ajay Kumar have been sentenced to life imprisonment under Section 302 of the IPC. The fifth convict, Ajay Sethi, was sent to three years in jail.

Ravindra Kumar Pandey, Additional Sessions Judge, District Court, Saket, said since the murder did not fall under the rarest of the rare category, death penalty could not be imposed. The four will also pay a fine of Rs 25,000 each and another Rs 1 lakh each under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).

All four are already lodged in jail. According to the prosecution, Kapoor fired the bullet with a country-made pistol while chasing Soumya’s car. The bullet hit the woman, leading to her death. Shukla, Malik and Kumar were his accomplices.

Sethi has been awarded three-year imprisonment and a fine of Rs 7,25,000 has been imposed on him. He was not with the other four on the night of the crime but was found to be in custody of the stolen car belonging to Vishwanathan and cash. Since he has been an undertrial for more than three years, he will be released after the payment of fine.

“It was unfortunate that Soumya, who was a young, dynamic and hardworking journalist, lost her life due to the act of the convicts,” the judge observed.

Advocate Amit Kumar, representing convict Malik and Shukla, said he would appeal in the higher court against their conviction.

Soumya was murdered at Nelson Mandela Marg in South Delhi while she was returning home from work in the wee hours of September 30, 2008. According to the police, the motive behind her killing was robbery.

Satisfied, but not happy: Mother

Soumya Vishwanathan’s mother Madhavi Vishwanathan said on Saturday that she was “satisfied” with the court’s judgement, but not happy. “I wanted this. I want them to suffer what I am suffering. I am satisfied, but I will not say I am happy. My husband is in ICU. He had a bypass surgery,” said Madhavi.

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