Supreme Court Issues Notice On Plea Challenging Bail Granted To Convicts In Journalsit Soumya Vishwanathan Murder Case

It was this February when the Delhi High Court granted them bail and suspended the sentence of all four convicts until their appeals against conviction were decided. Against this order, Vishwanathan's mother approached the Supreme Court. 

The Bench of Justices Bela M Trivedi and Pankaj Mithal heard the matter. Initially, the bench was not inclined to issue the notice and said, "Let the appeal be decided. This is only interim." However, the Counsel, appearing for the journalist, tried persuading the bench that these accused were involved in organised crimes and were awarded double life sentences. The counsel also submitted that if bail continues, the accused will be let loose for a long time. 

When Justice Trivedi said that the Court would permit her to file an application before the High Court for the early hearing, Vishwanathan's counsel beseeched the Court to issue notice. 

"Your lordship may be considered because it is a consecutive sentence. She was coming back from work, and for no reason, she was shot...this will continue; they will be let loose for a long time this way...This matter will never be taken up in the High Court..Your lordship may issue notice...," the counsel argued. 

Ultimately, the bench issued a notice that was returnable after four weeks. 

Viswanathan, a 25-year-old journalist who was working at English news Channel, was shot dead on September 30, 2008. She was returning to her home from work in her car late in the night when the tragic incident took place.

Ravi Kapoor, Amit Shukla, Baljeet Malik, and Ajay Kumar were awarded double life imprisonments by the Special Court last November, more than 15 years after Soumya was killed in 2008. They were convicted for the offence of Murder under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) as well as under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) for committing organised crime resulting in the death of any person. Their sentences were to run consequently.

Pursuant to this, the convicts moved to the Delhi High Court, challenging their conviction and sentence of life imprisonment. Apart from this, they had also filed applications moved by the convicts seeking suspension of sentence during the pendency of the appeal.

The High Court allowed these applications, noting that convicts have undergone around 14 years of incarceration.

Out of the four convicts in question, Ravi Kapoor, Amit Shukla, and Baljeet Malik were also convicted in the 2009 IT professional Jigisha Ghosh murder case.

Later, the trio disclosed to police during cross-examination that they had also shot dead television journalist Soumya Vishwanathan when she was driving home after the night shift in her office. The Delhi Police claimed that the motive behind her murder was robbery.

Case Title: MADHAVI VISWANATHAN v. THE STATE NCT OF DELHI AND ANR., Diary No. 13692-2024