Sentencing in Shivani Bhatnagar murder case on Monday

New Delhi, Mar 20 (UNI) A fast track court here today reserved its judgement till March 24 on the quantum of punishment for four convicts, including former Haryana cadre IPS officer R K Sharma, in the Shivani Bhatnagar murder case.

After hearing the three-hour-long arguments of the defence and the prosecution on the quantum of punishment, Additional Sessions Judge R K Shastri said the sentence for the four would be pronounced on Monday at 1400 hrs.

While the prosecution demanded capital punishment for the convicts, the defence urged for a lesser punishment so that the quartet can reform themselves, adding moreover the case did not fall under the rarest of rare category.

Besides Sharma, three others, including Pradeep Sharma, Satya Prakash and Sri Bhagwan, were convicted by the court on Tuesday, bringing to an end the nine-year-old trial in the murder case of the principal correspondent of the Indian Express.

Two others -- Ved, alias Kalu, and Ved Prakash Sharma -- were, however, exonerated in the case for want of evidence.

Shivani was found murdered in her east Delhi apartment on January 23, 1999 UNI XC SP AS1338