Shivani murder case: HC admits R K Sharma's appeal

Tue, Apr 29 07:18 PM

New Delhi, Apr 29 (PTI) The Delhi High Court today admitted a petition filed by suspended IPS officer R K Sharma challenging his conviction and life imprisonment in the Shivani Bhatnagar case. A Bench headed by Justice H R Malhotra agreed to hear the petition after a brief hearing of Sharma's contention.

Challenging the lower court's order, Sharma's counsel Sushil Bajaj contended that the trial court's judgement was contrary to law and facts of the case. "The conviction is based on circumstantial evidences and the trial court failed to apply the law relating to cases of circumstantial evidences," Bajaj said.

He added "The trial court failed to appreciate the fact that the prosecution had failed to prove numerous links in the chain of evidence." Sharma, a suspended Inspector General of Haryana Police, alongwith three others were sentenced to life term by a city court on March 24 for killing Indian Express journalist Shivani on January 23, 1999 while she was alone with her two-month-old son in her East Delhi residence.

The trial judge in his verdict had said that Sharma had conspired with three others to eliminate Shivani as he wanted to walk out of his "intimate" relationship with her, something that prompted her to threaten him. PTI.

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