After an elapse of more than nine years of the murder of Mrs.Shivani Bhatnager in her Flat in East Delhi, the perpetrators of the crime, Mr.R.K.Sharma and three of his accomplices were held guilty by a Sessions Court of criminal conspiracy and murder. The Court had, however, acquitted two others.
According to the prosecution, Mr.R.K.Sharma an Indian Police Service Officer (who was subsequently suspended from service) and Mrs.Shivani Bhatnagar, a Principal Correspondent working with Indian Express developed an intimate relationship. At that time when Mr.R.K. Sharma was holding the post of Officer on Special duty in the Prime minister’s Office was alleged to have passed on classified information to Mrs.Shavian pertaining to St. Kitt’s case. The prosecution further had argued that Mr.R.K.Sharm a had decided to eliminate Mrs.Shivani to conceal the above act and also reacting to the threat of her that she would expose their illegitimate relationship.
While the Court had rejected the Prosecution’s charge of leaking of the documents, it had accepted the charge relating to the intention of Mr.Sharma to eliminate her. It had come to the conclusion based on circumstantial evidence which was proved beyond doubt in the absence of eyewitness. The actual crime was committed by his accomplice, Mr.Pradeep. He went to Shivani’s flat on 23rd Jan,99, gained access on the pretext of handing over a wedding card and a box of sweets and fled the place after strangulating and stabbing her to death. The finger prints found in the place of crime and the handwriting in the entry register of her Navkung Apartment tallied with that of Mr.Pradeep and they were sufficient enough to prove his guilt.
It took about three years for the Police to solve the case. The first arrest was made in July, 2002 with the picking of MrBhagwan, a co-accused in the case which led to arrests of the rest of the accused.
When the arrest was made, Mr.R.K.Sharma was the Inspector General of Prisons in Haryana and he evaded it for about 45 days before surrendering when his application for anticipatory bail was rejected.
The quantum of punishment would be pronounced later. In the meanwhile, the defense lawyer of Mr.R.K.Sharma told the press persons that he would appeal against the verdict.
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