Agencies
New Delhi, Mar 18:
The nine year-long trial in journalist Shivani Bhatnagar's murder case came to an end on Tuesday when a fast track court in Delhi pronounced its much awaited verdict and held Haryana cadre ex-IPS officer R K Sharma and three others guilty of conspiring and eliminating the principal correspondent of the Indian Express group. The Karkardooma court however, acquitted two accused - Ved Prakash Sharma and Ved alias Kalo - in the sensational murder case.
The quantum of the sentences will be pronounced on March 20.
Meanwhile the Defence lawyers have said that it will take the matter to the High Court.
According to reports, the trial court, which announced its verdict in a packed room, concluded that former IPS officer R K Sharma and five others - Pradeep Sharma, Satya Prakash, Ved Prakash Sharma, Ved alias Kalu and Sri Bhagwan, a contract killer, brutally murdered Shivani.
Prosecution is most likely to demand death sentence for all the convicted. However, legal experts say that it will have to prove that the case is the "rarest among rare".
Both the prosecution and defence counsel have yet to obtain the copy of the judgment.
So far the trial has seen four judges and 209 witnesses, out of which 51 turned hostile. On March 5, the fast track court had fixed March 18 as the date for pronouncing its judgment.
All the accused had been charged with murder and conspiracy by the prosecution. Pradeep Sharma, one of the convicts, was charged with inflicting fatal injuries on the victim with the help of his four associates.
The prosecution had also put additional charges on Pradeep. He was accused of stealing the victim`s gold chain and camera after the murder.
Shivani Bhatnagar, principal correspondent of Indian Express, was found murdered in her flat in East Delhi on January 23, 1999.
R K Sharma and the victims are alleged to have had an affair and during the former's stint as an Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the Prime Minister's Office in 1997, the IPS officer had "leaked" some secret documents to Shivani.
Chronology of Shivani murder case:
January 23, 1999: Shivani Bhatnagar, principal correspondent of Indian Express, murdered in her east Delhi apartment while she was with her infant son.
July 30, 2002: Delhi Police arrest accused Sri Bhagwan
August 3, 2002: Delhi Police arrest accused Pradeep Sharma
August 7, 2002: Court issues non-bailable warrant against RK Sharma
August 8, 2002: Madhu Sharma, wife of RK Sharma claims her husband is 'totally innocent' and demands a CBI probe to unravel the truth
August 14, 2002: Sharma removed from the post of IG (Prisons) for failing to join duty after expiry of his leave
August 15, 2002: Madhu Sharma alleges then union communication minister Pramod Mahajan is involved in Shivani's murder. Mahajan refutes the allegations and says that he shared a purely professional relationship with Shivani.
August 16, 2002: Delhi Police gives clean chit to Pramod Mahajan
August 17, 2002: Delhi Police arrest accused Satya Prakash from Faridabad
August 18, 2002: Delhi Police arrest accused Ved Sharma from Gurgaon
September 27, 2002: RK Sharma surrenders in Ambala court
October 25, 2003: Police file chargesheet in the case
March 3, 2003: Court frames charges against all the accused.
March 20, 2003: Trial begins in the case as accused plead not guilty and claim trial
January 23, 2006: Trial shifted to a fast track court
August 14, 2007: Final arguments in the case begin
March 5, 2008: Court reserves the order for March 18
March 18, 2008: Court pronounced Sharma and three others guilty.
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