Soumya Vishwanathan’s mother: We demand life term for convicts

NEW DELHI: Madhavi Vishwanathan — the mother of journalist Soumya Vishwanathan who tragically lost her life to a fatal shooting 15 years ago — made an impassioned plea on Wednesday.
She called for a sentence of life imprisonment for all four individuals found guilty of her daughter’s murder in a Delhi court.

Madhavi insisted that they should endure the same suffering her family had endured over the years.

Earlier on that day, the court rendered verdicts of guilt against Ravi Kapoor, Amit Shukla, Baljeet Malik, and Ajay Kumar in the case of Soumya’s murder.
Additionally, they were convicted under the provisions of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).
The fifth accused, Ajay Sethi, was found guilty under Section 411 (dishonestly receiving stolen property) of the Indian Penal Code.
He was also convicted under the MCOCA provisions for conspiring to abet, aid, or knowingly facilitate organized crime, as well as for receiving the proceeds of organized crime.

Additional Sessions Judge Ravindra Kumar Pandey declared that the prosecution had successfully demonstrated, beyond reasonable doubt, the charges against the accused.
The court scheduled the sentencing for October 26.
Madhavi expressed her sentiments to the reporters, saying, “We lost our daughter, and we insist on a life sentence for the convicts so that they can understand the pain and suffering we endured.”
Special commissioner of police (Special Cell) HGS Dhaliwal, who previously served as DCP South and led the team that successfully solved the Soumya Vishwanathan murder case, was present in the court alongside the family members of the late journalist.
He mentioned that it was an exceedingly challenging case, which demanded over six months of persistent effort to bring it to a resolution.
HGS Dhaliwal informed the reporters, “The family members of Soumya Vishwanathan maintained their faith in the Delhi Police and preferred that the case not be transferred to any central agency. Nevertheless, this case posed significant challenges as there was no physical contact between the victim and the accused. The tragic incident involved a single shot fired from a moving vehicle, which fatally struck Soumya.”
He noted that Soumya’s family members diligently attended every single review meeting of the case, starting from the day the incident occurred, and continued their participation until the case was eventually solved.
Soumya tragically lost her life on September 30, 2008, when she was shot dead while returning home from work in her car at approximately 3:30 am.
The police had initially asserted that the motive behind the killing was robbery.
Five individuals were apprehended in connection with the murder, and they have remained in custody since March 2009.