The Delhi High Court suspended the life sentence of four men who were convicted for the murder of journalist Soumya Vishwanathan in the year 2008.
The bail was granted to convicts Ravi Kapoor, Amit Shukla, Ajay Kumar and Baljeet Malik noting that they have been behind bars for nearly 14 years by Division Bench comprising of Justices Suresh Kumar Kait and Girish Kathpalia.
The High Court has said that the life sentence of the convicts shall remain in suspension till the court decides on appeal against conviction and sentencing in the case.
Last year on November 24,the Delhi’s Saket Court had sentenced four accused to life imprisonment for the murder of Soumya Vishwanathan.
Another accused Ajay Sethi was sentenced to three years imprisonment.
The 25-year-old journalist who worked in India Today was shot dead at Delhi’s Vasant Vihar area on September 30, 2008, while she was returning home from work in her car at around 3:30 am.
Forensic reports indicated she died due to a bullet wound in her head. According to the police, Vishwanathan was returning home late at night from her office when she was chased and shot.
In its 620-page charge sheet filed in 2009, Delhi Police said that the motive behind the murder was robbery.
Police said that Soumya’s murder case was cracked after the recovery of the weapon used in the killing of IT Executive Jigisha Ghosh.
In August 2016, a trial court awarded death penalty to Kapoor and Shukla in the Jigisha Ghosh murder case. The trial court sentenced Malik to life imprisonment in the murder of the IT Executive.
The Delhi High Court commuted the death sentence awarded to Kapoor and Shukla to life imprisonment in 2018. Malik’s life imprisonment was upheld by the High Court.