The Saket court in Delhi on Monday sentenced two of the three accused to death in the Jigisha Ghosh murder case. The court observed that the victim was killed in coldblood and hence the crime falls in the “rarest of rare” category. The two convicts who were asked by the court to be “hanged by their necks” are Ravi Kapoor and Amit Shukla. The third convict, Baljeet Malik was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Delivering the judgment, Additional Sessions Judge Sandeep Yadav observed that the convicts committed the crime in an uncivilised and barbaric manner. “The level, degree and gravity of brutality makes it fall in the category of rarest of rare,” he said.
The court also pointed out that the crimes against woman in the country are on the rise and the act of gruesome murder was also committed against a woman. Therefore, the court observed, “Any leniency will send a wrong message to the society… Protection of society is the object of law.”
Read: Jigisha Ghosh murder case: Two convicts get death sentence, life imprisonment for one
The court also ordered Amit Shukla and Baljeet Malik to compensate Jigisha’s parents, as she was the sole bread winner in the family. The court said that Jigisha’s parent’s be given Rs 6 lakh from the fine paid by the duo, which will be equally divided between the father and mother. The Court also directed Delhi Legal Aid to provide monetary assistance to parents.
WATCH VIDEO: Jigisha Ghosh Murder Case: Court’s Observations On The Death Sentencing
The defence lawyer earlier sought a minimum sentence of life term, asserting that one of the accused, Ravi Kapoor was suffering from a “life-threatening disease” besides having aged parents.
Read: Convicts killed Jigisha for pleasure, should be given death: Prosecution
Jigisha, an operations manager at Hewitt Associates Pvt Ltd in Noida, had been abducted on March 18, 2009, after she was dropped by her office cab at 4 am in south Delhi’s Vasant Vihar. A day later, her body was found near Surajkund in Faridabad.
Here is a timeline showing how the events unfolded in the Jigisha Ghosh murder case:
March 18, 2009: At 4 am, Jigisha was abducted by three men after her office cab dropped her near her residence in south Delhi’s Vasant Vihar.
March 20, 2009: Jigisha body was recovered from a place near Surajkund in Haryana.
March 23, 2009: Delhi Police arrest three men – Amit Shukla, Baljeet Malik and Ravi Kapoor – in the murder case.
June 2009: Delhi Police files chargesheet in the case against three men. Charges of murder, abduction, destruction of evidence, forgery under sections of IPC slapped against the accused.
April 15, 2010: Trial begins in Delhi sessions court.
July 5, 2016: Delhi court reserves its judgement in the case.
July 14, 2016: Delhi court convicts three men in the case.
August 15, 2016: Interviews conducted with convicts, families for ‘bias-free’ reporting.
August 21, 2016: Prosecutors declare that convicts killed Jigisha for pleasure and demand for death sentence.
August 22, 2016: Delhi Saket Court gives its judgement in the case, giving two convicts a death sentence, while a life imprisonment to the third one