Shivani murder case: Top cop RK Sharma guilty

New Delhi: A Delhi fast-track court on Tuesday convicted suspended IPS officer Ravi Kant Sharma in the sensational Shivani Bhatnagar murder case of 1999 along with three other co-accused.

While the IPS officer has been convicted under Sections 302, 120B and 201of the Indian Penal Code, three others — Sri Bhagwan, Satya Prakash and the alleged hired killer Pradeep Sharma — have been found guilty of murder and destruction of evidence.

RK Sharma was present in the courtroom when Additional Sessions Judge R K Shastri pronounced the judgement. Dressed in a pink T-shirt and brown trouser, Sharma was emotionless when the judgement was given. He did not react even when his relatives tried to console him in the court.

Relatives of another convict, Pradeep, burst into tears as the verdict was pronounced.

The court will pronounce the quantum of sentence, which may range from life term to death penalty, on March 20.

The court, however, acquitted two other accused — Ved Prakash Sharma and Ved alias Kalu — for want of evidence.

Out of the 209 prosecution witnesses, 51 had turned hostile during the prolonged trial. However, the prosecution had successfully managed to establish the chain of circumstantial evidence to achieve conviction in the case almost nine years after the sensational murder.

In order to substantiate the murder plot, the prosecution relied upon phone call records of the alleged conversations of R K Sharma with the deceased as well as the co-accused.

Shivani, a principal correspondent with national daily The Indian Express was murdered on January 23, 1999, in her Nav Kunj Apartment of East Delhi.

A total of six people, including Sharma, had been charged under Section 302 (murder), 120 B (conspiracy), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence), 403 and 404 (dishonest misappropriation of property) of the of the Indian Penal Code.

The prosecution had claimed that Shivani had first met Sharma when he was the OSD at the PMO during IK Gujral's tenure. They later became romantically involved and Sharma showed some classified documents to Shivani, including some details of the St Kitts case.

But later, he apparently decided to kill her when she threatened to ruin his career if he did not marry her.

Shivani was living in the apartment with her infant son when she was killed. The murderers allegedly strangled her with an electric wire and stabbed 10 times with a kitchen knife. Shivani's neighbours later discovered her stabbed body.

For nearly three years there was no headway in the case. The trail finally led to RK Sharma and the conspiracy to eliminate Shivani was revealed.

After evading arrest for months, Sharma surrendered in an Ambala court in August 2002 and subsequently the police picked up Sri Bhagwan in the same year. Sharma was IG Prisons at the time of his arrest.

The police claimed that Sharma met co-accused Satya Prakash, Sri Bhagwan, Ved Prakash Sharma and Ved alias Kalu at the Ashoka Hotel in Delhi in December 1998 to chalk out the murder plan. They then invited Shivani to Hotel Ashoka so that all accused could identify her.

On the fateful day, Satya Prakash drove hired killer Pradeep to Nav Kunj Apartment in an Maruti Esteem car often used by Sharma.

Sharma had even given a photograph of Shivani to the killer. He created an alibi for himself on that day that he was in Bombay.

The operation was meticulously planned to the last detail, the prosecution claimed. Ved Prakash and Kalu, who were acquitted by the court, had kept watch on her apartment to give the murders the go ahead with the operation.\

Pradeep entered the apartment and stabbed her 10 times before decamping with her camera and some film rolls. He also stole some documents and her gold chain as evidence to prove to Sharma that the job was done.

Police claim Satya Prakash had promised Pradeep Rs 3 lakh and a job with Haryana Development Authority for carrying out the murder. Sri Bhagwan, the other accomplice, was the son of an SHO who worked under Sharma.

The investigation in the case had turned murky after the names of some senior BJP leaders were also dragged into the controversy. This had led to a lot of character assassination and allegations of extra-marital affairs, etc.

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