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Delhi court convicts four accused involved in murder of journalist Soumya Vishwanathan

Soumya Vishwanathan was discovered dead in her car at Nelson Mandela Marg in South Delhi’s Vasant Kunj area on September 30, 2008.

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Delhi court convicts four accused involved in murder of journalist Soumya Vishwanathan

After fifteen years, all four accused involved in the 2008 murder of Delhi journalist Soumya Vishwanathan have been convicted by a Delhi court on Wednesday. The harrowing incident took place in the national capital.

Soumya Vishwanathan, who was a journalist with the Headlines Today news channel, was shot and killed in her car while driving home from office in September 2008. On Wednesday, the Saket court convicted the accused Ravi Kapoor, Amit Shukla, Ajay Kumar, Baljeet Malik, and Ajay Sethi for the 2008 murder of the journalist.

Reports stated that the young journalist Soumya Vishwanathan was discovered dead in her car at Nelson Mandela Marg in South Delhi’s Vasant Kunj area on September 30, 2008. Initially, the incident was believed to be a car accident until forensic reports disclosed her cause of death as a gunshot wound to the head.

Later, CCTV footage revealed that a car tailing Soumya Vishwanathan’s vehicle and a major moment in the investigation came when two accused, Ravi Kapoor and Amit Shukla, were arrested in connection with another case.

The Delhi Police identified similarities in the murder pattern of a call center executive and Soumya Vishwanathan’s killing. The duo Ravi Kapoor and Amit Shukla were initially arrested for the murder of a call centre executive.

Following subsequent interrogations, they confessed to the killing of Vishwanathan. The accused had described the murder as a thrilling activity. Reportedly, the charge sheet implicating them, along with Baljeet Malik and Ajay Sethi, was filed in June 2010, followed by the commencement of the trial in November 2010.

Timeline of Soumya Vishwanathan murder case:

September 30, 2008: Journalist shot dead at Nelson Mandela Marg in south Delhi’s Vasant Kunj, while returning home from work in her car around 3.30 am

March 28, 2009: All the accused Ravi Kapoor, Amit Shukla, Baljeet Malik, Ajay Kumar and Ajay Sethi were arrested after recovery of the weapon used in the call centre executive’s murder and  revealed the involvement of the same accused in Soumya’s murder.

April 2009: The Delhi police invoked the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against the accused in the Soumya murder case.

February 6, 2010: Accused Ravi Kapoor, Baljeet Singh, Amit Shukla, Ajay Kumar, and Ajay Sethi were slapped with charges under murder, robbery and other offences.

August 2016: A trial court sentenced Ravi Kapoor and Amit Shukla to death while Malik was sentenced to life in the 2009 call centre executive murder case.

January 2018: The Delhi High court commuted the death sentences of Kapoor and Shukla to life imprisonment. Malik’s life term was upheld.

February 27, 2019: The Delhi High Court ordered a trial court to speed up the trial of Soumya’s murder case based on a plea lodged by Malik.

September 1, 2023: Final arguments started before Additional Sessions Judge Ravindra Kumar Pandey.

October 13, 2023: Justice Pandey reserved judgment in the case after completion of arguments by the defence and prosecution. The court stated that all parties can file written submissions, if any, by October 14.

October 18, 2023: The Delhi court convicted all the four accused in the journalist’s murder case.

October 26, 2023: The Delhi court fixed the date for sentencing on October 26.

2024 Lok Sabha Elections

Arvind Kejriwal predicts INDIA bloc will win 300 seats and form next government

Kejriwal was addressing a digital press conference from his residence where he said as different phases of elections are over, it has become clear that on June 4, the INDIA bloc will win and form the next government at the centre.

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Arvind Kejriwal predicts INDIA bloc will win 300 seats and form next government

Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday cited surveys and said the INDIA bloc will win over 300 of 543 Lok Sabha seats and form the next government.  He said the 5th phase of the Lok Sabha elections is over.

Kejriwal was addressing a digital press conference from his residence where he said as different phases of elections are over, it has become clear that on June 4, the INDIA bloc will win and form the next government at the centre. The findings of many surveys show that on June 4, the INDIA bloc is going to get over 300 seats. He added that the INDIA bloc is progressing and is on the way to give a clean and stable government.

The Delhi chief minister addressed the press conference days before Delhi’s all seven Lok Sabha seats are due to go for elections in the 6th phase of voting on May 25. The Aam Aadmi Party, a key constituent of the INDIA bloc, is contesting 4 of the 7 Lok Sabha seats in alliance with Congress. The BJP swept the Lok Sabha elections in Delhi in 2014 and 2019, winning all 7 seats.

Top leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Yogi Adityanath , Amit Shah (BJP), Kejriwal, and Rahul Gandhi (Congress) have campaigned in New Delhi which is going to end on May 23. Earlier The Delhi Chief Minister had slammed Amit Shah a day after he addressed an election rally in Delhi on Monday. 

He slammed the union Home minister and said not even 500 people attended Amit Shah’s rally. He accused Shah of abusing the people of the country and Delhi. Kejriwal accused Shah of calling AAP supporters as Pakistanis. He said the people of Delhi gave AAP 62 out of 70 [assembly] seats and asked if they were Pakistanis?  

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Pune police arrest father after son’s fatal Porsche crash, restaurant owner also detained

Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar mentioned that the father was detained from Maharashtra’s Sambhajinagar in the morning and was formally arrested after being brought to Pune.

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Pune police arrest father after son’s fatal Porsche crash, restaurant owner also detained

The Pune police have arrested the father of the juvenile involved in the fatal accident that occurred on Monday morning. The minor was driving a Porsche without a registration number, which crashed into a bike, resulting in two deaths. The authorities have also arrested the owners of two restaurants and a staff member for serving alcohol to minors.

Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar confirmed that the father of the accused has been arrested after he attempted to evade capture. He mentioned that the father was detained from Maharashtra’s Sambhajinagar in the morning and was formally arrested after being brought to Pune.

Among those arrested were Pralhad Bhutada, owner of Cosie, and Sandip Sangale, owner of Blak Club. The Pune Police Commissioner added that the license holders of two restaurants and one more person were arrested late last night and would be produced in court today.

The minor’s father, a prominent real estate developer in Pune, reportedly manages a famous club and has built a star hotel in addition to several significant projects. The Pune Police have booked the aforesaid people under the Motor Vehicles Act (MVA) and the Juvenile Justice Act (JJA) for failing in their duties as guardians and for allowing the minor to drive without a license.

The Yerawada police arrested the father for permitting the minor to drive, while the restaurant owners and staff were charged for serving liquor to the minor. The Police have invoked sections 3, 5, and 199A of the Motor Vehicle Act, 1988, and sections 75 and 77 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015. The action was taken after police found that the Porsche, purchased in March, had not been registered. 

Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra assembly Vijay Wadettiwar demanded a judicial inquiry into the accident. He said that there is a question mark on Pune Police’s investigation, therefore a judicial inquiry should be conducted in this case.

He further pointed out that the police have reported that the alcohol test of the accused in the Pune accident was negative, but the CCTV footage of the accused, who is a minor, is drunk and that the report is raising a question mark on the police investigation.

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Uttarkashi authorities issues order to limit movement of horses and mules on Yamunotri Dham pilgrimage route

The District Magistrate Dr. Meherban Singh Bisht issued an order that the maximum number of horses and mules going from Janki Chatti to Yamunotri and vice versa has been limited to 800.

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Uttarkashi authorities limits movement of horses and mules on Yamunotri Dham pilgrimage route

In an effort to ensure the safety and convenience of piligrims, the district authorities of Uttarkashi have issued an order to curb the movement of horses and mules on the Shri Yamunotri Dham foot pilgrimage route.

The District Magistrate Dr. Meherban Singh Bisht issued an order that the maximum number of horses and mules going from Janki Chatti to Yamunotri and vice versa has been limited to 800. Additionally, the time for their movement is restricted to between 4 a.m. and 5 p.m. The District Magistrate has instructed the relevant departments and officials to promptly execute the above-mentioned orders and see to it that they are followed by all. He has also instructed the relevant department and officials to promptly execute the mentioned order.

On May 19, a significant number of devotees visited the holy sites of Gangotri and Yamunotri Dhams in Uttarakhand. By 2 p.m. on Sunday, approximately 10,000 devotees worshipped at Gangotri Dham, while 28,000 pilgrims were en route to Gangotri. Similarly, at Yamunotri Dham, 8,500 people had worshipped, and 20,000 individuals were progressing along the Yamunotri route from various stops.

The order also imposes a complete ban on the movement of horses, mules, and sticks beyond the Ghoda Padav in Shri Yamunotri Dham. Violators will be punishable under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), as per the DM’s order. This decision was prompted by a joint report submitted by the Barkot’s Sub-District Magistrate, Deputy Superintendent of Police, and Uttarkashi Additional Chief Officer of the District Panchayat. The report emphasized the need for crowd control to safeguard pilgrims, lives, and property.

The Char Dham Yatra, which includes sites like Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Bedrinath, began on May 10 this year. Uttarakhand witnesses a peak in pilgrimage season during the summers, drawing thousands of devotees to these sacred destinations.

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