The Additional District and Sessions Judge Court at Kotdwar in Uttarakhand has sentenced the three accused Pulkit Arya, Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta to life imprisonment in the Ankita murder case.
उत्तराखंड: अंकिता भंडारी हत्याकांड में पूर्व BJP नेता के बेटे सहित तीनों दोषियों को उम्रकैद
The court of Additional District and Sessions Judge of Kotdwar has given its verdict in the much talked about Ankita Bhandari murder case of Uttarakhand. The court has convicted former BJP leader’s son Pulkit Arya, Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankita Gupta in this murder case. All three have been sentenced to life imprisonment. Pulkit Arya is the son of the then BJP leader Vinod Arya. After the case came to light, BJP expelled Vinod Arya from the party.
Pulkit Arya was sentenced to life imprisonment and fine under various sections of the IPC in the Ankita Bhandari murder case. Co-accused Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta were also sentenced to life imprisonment and fine. At the same time, a compensation of Rs 4 lakh has been announced to the victim’s family.
The court has convicted Pulkit Arya under section 302, section 201, section 354A and section 3(1)d of Immoral Traffic Prevention Act in case number 1/22. At the same time, co-accused Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta have been sentenced under section 302, section 201 IPC and 3(1)d ITPA Act.
What is the whole case?
22-year-old Ankita Bhandari of Yamkeshwar block of Pauri district was murdered on 18 September 2022. She worked as a receptionist at Vantara Resort in Yamkeshwar block itself. Ankita Bhandari went missing from Vantara Resort in Yamkeshwar on 18 September 2022. 6 days later, on September 24, the SDRF recovered the body of Ankita Bhandari from the canal at Cheela Power House Intake. In this case, Pulkit Arya, Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta were arrested and sent to jail. Pulkit was made the main accused. An SIT team was formed under the leadership of DIG (Law and Order) P. Renuka Devi to reveal the matter.
After the SIT investigation, a 500-page charge sheet was filed in the court by the prosecution. After the charges were framed against the three murder accused, resort owner Pulkit Arya, his employee Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta, the testimony of the prosecution started from 28 March 2023. The first hearing of the case was held on 30 January 2023 in the ADJ Court at Kotdwar.
In the hearing that lasted for about two years and eight months, 47 witnesses including the investigating officer were produced in the court by the prosecution. Although the SIT had produced 97 witnesses in this case, only 47 of them were produced in the court. On May 19, the hearing was concluded by the prosecution counsel, Special Public Prosecutor Avnish Negi, responding to the arguments of the defence.
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