Delhi HC to hear Shivani Bhatnagar murder case

New Delhi, Aug 14: The Delhi High Court will hear the final arguments in the Shivani Bhatnagar murder case today.

Shivani, a journalist with the Indian Express, was found murdered on January 23, 1999.

Suspended Haryana IPS officer R K Sharma, is a key accused in the case. Sharma, along with five co-accused Pradeep Sharma, Satya Prakash, Ved Prakash Sharma, Ved alias Kalu and Sri Bhagwan are facing trial in the case.

On August 2, Additional Sessions Judge Rajender Kumar Shastri had put the matter up for arguments after Sharma's counsel S P Minocha made his last ditch efforts to prove the involvement of a "powerful" politician in the murder of Bhatnagar.

Earlier, the court had dismissed the bail plea of R K Sharma.

Sharma, who is in jail following his surrender in 2002, had requested for bail on the basis of his health problems. Citing his serious spinal chord problem for which he underwent a surgery, Sharma said he was not a person with any criminal background.

It was also argued that there was no chance of him influencing the witnesses, as the trial court had already completed the recording of evidence with the examination of 209 witnesses.

Justice Ravinder Bhatt, who had on February 15, reserved the order after hearing the arguments on the bail petition of Sharma, rejected his application.

Sharma, in his statement before the trial court under Section 313 of the Criminal Procedure Code, which entitles an accused to get his version recorded, had accepted that Shivani was a family friend.

ANI>