Delhi court convicts five in Soumya Vishwanathan murder case

New Delhi, Oct 18 (IANS) In the 2008 murder case of TV journalist Soumya Vishwanathan, a Delhi court on Wednesday convicted four accused under MCOCA provisions and one for helping in receiving stolen property.

Additional Sessions Judge Ravindra Kumar Pandey of the Saket Court pronounced the judgement after having it reserved on October 13.

Four accused -- Ravi Kapoor, Amit Shukla, Ajay Kumar and Baljeet Malik -- have been convicted under Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) provisions and Ajay Sethi for receiving stolen property. 

The matter has now been fixed for sentencing on October 26.

On October 13, the judge had given time for additional arguments or clarifications since both the defence and prosecution completed their arguments earlier this month.

The court had also directed all the accused to be present in court when the judgment is pronounced.

On September 30, 2008, Vishwanathan was shot dead on the Nelson Mandela Marg while returning home from work in her car.

The accused were arrested in connection with the murder and have been in custody since March 2009.

The police had attributed the motive for her killing to robbery, and had invoked the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against the accused.

Malik, Kapoor and Shukla were previously convicted in the 2009 killing of IT executive Jigisha Ghosh.

In Ghosh's murder, the trial court sentenced Kapoor and Shukla to death and awarded a life term to Malik.

Subsequently, in the following year, the high court commuted the death sentences of Kapoor and Shukla to life imprisonment while upholding Malik's life term in the Ghosh's murder case.