Four convicts receive life sentence in TV journalist Soumya Vishwanathan murder case

Delhi's Saket court has delivered a verdict in the Soumya Vishwanathan murder case, sentencing four men to life imprisonment for the 2008 killing of the television journalist. Soumya Vishwanathan was shot dead in her car in Vasant Kunj on September 30, 2008, while returning home from work.

The court also imposed a fine of ₹1.25 lakh on the four convicts, while a fifth accused received a three-year jail term. The judgment comes after the trial judge, Ravindra Kumar Pandey, reserved the verdict following detailed arguments and considerations.

The convictions were initially pronounced in October, with Ravi Kapoor, Ajay Kumar, Baljeet Malik, and Amit Shukla found guilty under murder and MCOCA charges. The fifth accused, Ajay Sethi, was convicted under Section 411 of the Indian Penal Code for retaining the offending vehicle. The motive behind Soumya Vishwanathan's murder was cited as robbery by the police during the investigation.

The court's decision to award life sentences aligns with the demand made by Soumya Vishwanathan's mother. The journalist, employed by a private television news channel, was shot dead on Vasant Kunj's Nelson Mandela Marg.