On Monday, the Supreme Court issued a notice regarding an appeal filed by the Delhi police against the Delhi High Court’s decision to suspend the life sentences and grant interim bail to four men convicted of murdering journalist Soumya Vishwanathan in 2008 [State NCT Delhi v. Amit Shukla and others].
A Bench of Justices Bela M. Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma issued the notice in response to the appeal filed by the Delhi police.
Additional Solicitor General SV Raju appeared on behalf of the Delhi government.
Soumya Vishwanathan, a journalist working with India Today, was found dead in her car in Vasant Kunj in September 2008. Forensic reports indicated that she died from a bullet wound to the head. According to the police, Vishwanathan was returning home late at night from her office when she was chased and shot.
Four men—Ravi Kapoor, Amit Shukla, Ajay Kumar, and Baljeet Malik—were convicted in November 2023 for the murder. They were also found guilty under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) and sentenced to life imprisonment by the trial court. This conviction was challenged by the four men before the Delhi High Court.
In February 2024, the Delhi High Court suspended their life sentences and granted them bail pending the disposal of appeals against their conviction and life sentences, citing that they had already been in prison for 14 years.
Vishwanathan’s mother initially challenged the High Court’s decision before the Supreme Court. In April, the Supreme Court sought responses from the Delhi government and the convicts to this appeal.
In July, the Delhi police also challenged the High Court’s decision through the present appeal.
