Soumya Vishwanathan Murder Case: SC Directs Delhi Govt, Convicts To Respond In 4 Weeks

The Supreme Court has issued notice on the plea filed by the mother of television journalist Soumya Vishwanathan against the Delhi High Court order granting bail to four men serving life imprisonment in the 2008 murder case of her daughter.

The apex court had asked the Delhi government and four convicts to file their responses to the plea in four weeks.

On February 12, the Delhi High Court had granted bail to four convicts who were serving life sentences.

Madhavi Vishwanathan, speaking to OneIndia, expressed outrage at the court's decision, particularly citing the case of Ravi Kapoor, who had been denied bail less than a month prior due to committing numerous offenses while incarcerated. Kapoor, along with three others, had been sentenced to double life imprisonment by the Saket Court. Madhavi criticized the High Court's decision to grant bail until Kapoor's appeal against the Saket Court verdict is heard, calling it a mockery of justice.

Soumya Vishwanathan, a journalist with a leading English news channel, was shot dead in her car on September 30, 2008, while returning home from work on Nelson Mandela Marg in south Delhi. The motive behind her murder, according to the Delhi Police, was robbery. Ravi Kapoor, convicted in the case, allegedly shot Vishwanathan with a country-made pistol during an attempted robbery, with three others present.

In November 2023, a special court sentenced Ravi Kapoor, Amit Shukla, Baljeet Malik, and Ajay Kumar to two life imprisonments under Section 302 (murder) of the IPC and Section 3(1)(i) of the MCOCA. Each was also fined ₹1.25 lakh. Ajay Sethi, the fifth convict, received three years of simple imprisonment under section 411 of the IPC, along with a fine of ₹7.25 lakh.

The Delhi High Court's decision on February 12 suspended the life sentences of Kapoor, Shukla, Malik, and Kumar, while Ajay Sethi's sentence was adjusted for time served during the appeal's pendency.