A court in Uttarakhand’s Pauri Garhwal district Friday to life imprisonment for the 2022 murder of 19-year-old Ankita Bhandari.
She was killed while working as a receptionist at a resort run by Pulkit. His employees, Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta, were also handed life terms.
After the sentencing by the court of the Additional District and Sessions Judge, Ankita’s father Virendra Bhandari told that the family was hoping that the accused would be handed the death sentence.
“The accused will be in jail, but what about those people who are outside? We had raised the issue of a VIP, but his name has not come out yet… We had sought the transfer of the case to the CBI, and even filed an application that other suspects be probed, but it was disposed of,” he said.
Pulkit was sentenced under IPC section 302 (murder) to rigorous life imprisonment and a fine of Rs 50,000; under section 201 (causing disappearance of evidence) to five years and a fine of Rs 10,000; under section 354A (sexual harassment) for two years and a fine of Rs 10,000; and under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act for five years and a fine of Rs 2,000.
Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta were sentenced under IPC section 302 to rigorous life imprisonment and a fine of Rs 50,000, as well as under IPC section 201 and the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act.
After the court verdict, Uttarakhand Chief Minister took to social media and called Ankita a “daughter and sister of the mountains”.
“We are extremely saddened by the incident, following which we had taken a resolution to provide her justice. Soon, we directed the police to arrest the accused, and an SIT under a female IPS was constituted. Because of this, the accused were not provided bail. They (the accused) have been proven guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment. We were also in touch with the family members, ensuring justice to Ankita Bhandari,” he said.
MP and state president Mahendra Bhatt said the verdict has brought satisfaction to the people of the state.
The Congress, however, staged a protest, demanding more severe punishment and an investigation into the alleged “VIP link” in the case.
Senior Congress leader and spokesperson Suryakant Dhasmana said, “There has been ongoing talk of a VIP being involved in the background of this gruesome case, something Ankita herself hinted at in chats with her friend. Yet, the investigating police team has not managed to identify or reach this VIP — a serious shortcoming in the investigation.”
Ankita’s body was recovered from a canal in Rishikesh on September 24, 2022. She was reported missing for at least six days before her body was found.
According to the prosecution, Ankita was last seen in CCTV footage from the barrage at Pashulok, riding pillion behind Pulkit on a scooter. The other accused, Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta, were following them on a motorcycle.
In the absence of a direct eyewitness to the crime, the court cited the “last seen theory” in the case. “It is settled law that to sustain a conviction on circumstantial evidence, the chain of circumstances has to be so complete that the finger of accusation unerringly points towards the guilt of the accused and rules out innocence… It is the quality of evidence and not the number that matters. A criminal trial is not a race in which the winner is determined with reference to the length run by the prosecution or the defence. It is also not a numbers game where the number of circumstances would determine guilt or otherwise,” the court said.
