Soumya Vishwanathan case: All five accused convicted after 15 yrs in murder of the journalist

All five accused, Ravi Kapoor, Amit Shukla, Ajay Kumar, Baljeet Malik, and Ajay Sethi, in the murder of Delhi journalist Soumya Vishwanathan have been convicted by a Delhi court. Vishwanathan was a journalist with Headlines Today news channel in 2008 when she was shot and killed in her car while driving home from work. 

The decision was pronounced by Delhi’s Saket Court 15 years after the murder took place. 

The accused were arrested in March 2009 but the prosecution took over 13 years to present all the evidence before the court in the case. The trial began in February 2010 and concluded today after the accused were convicted. 

Soumya Vishwanathan murder

On September 30, 2008, the journalist with the newly-launched channel was found dead in her car near South Delhi’s Vasant Kunj area. It was initially believed that she died due to an accident. But the forensic reports revealed that Vishwanathan died of a bullet wound in her head. This kickstarted a murder investigation. 

Police findings suggested that she was chased on her way back home and was shot from another moving vehicle. CCTV footage traced her movements and picked up on a maroon-coloured car that was following her. 

A thorough search operation was conducted in the area to gather evidence. 

Meanwhile, the Delhi Police arrested two people, Ravi Kapoor and Amit Shukla, for their involvement in another case. They also confessed to the murder of Soumya Vishwanathan, and described it as a “thrilling activity”. 

The police filed a charge sheet against Kapoor and Shukla, and two other suspects, Baljeet Malik and Ajay Sethi. 

The hearing in the case concluded in 2016 but the judgment was deferred several times due to legal complications. 

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