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India Gazette
3 days ago
- India Gazette
Ankita Bhandari Murder Case: Court orders Rs 4 lakh fine as compensation to victim's parents
Pauri Garhwal (Uttarakhand) [India], May 30 (ANI): After the Additional District Judge (ADJ) court in Kotdwar pronounced life imprisonment to all three accused in the Ankita Bhandari murder case, Advocate Avnish Negi, lawyer representing the victim, on Friday said that the prosecution presented 47 witnesses in the case and the court has ordered accused to pay Rs 4 lakh fine to victim's parents as compensation. 'On the appeal of the prosecution, a fine of Rs 4 lakhs was ordered to be paid to the victim's parents as compensation. The full judgment is yet to come... We had presented forty-seven witnesses,' Negi, who represented Ankita and was appointed by the government, told ANI. He informed that the court has granted life imprisonment to all three accused under sections 302 and 201 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). 'All three accused have been sentenced to life imprisonment. They have been convicted under Section 302 and sentenced to life imprisonment and a fine of Rs 50, three have been punished and charged under the relevant section of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act of 1956, which provides jail time of five years and life imprisonment under sections 302 and 201,' Negi added. In a significant verdict, the ADJ court in Kotdwar has sentenced all three accused in the Ankita Bhandari murder case--resort owner Pulkit Arya, Saurabh Bhaskar, and Ankit Gupta--to life imprisonment. The Additional District and Sessions Judge Court Kotdwar in Uttarakhand convicted the trio under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including Section 302 (murder), Section 201 (destruction of evidence), Section 120B (criminal conspiracy), Section 354A (sexual harassment), and provisions of the Immoral Traffic Prevention Act. The court pronounced the verdict after a thorough trial, confirming the charges against the trio. Earlier, the accused were found guilty of the brutal murder of 19-year-old Ankita Bhandari, a receptionist at a resort in Rishikesh, whose case had sparked widespread outrage across the state. While speaking to ANI, the victim's mother, Soni Devi, broke down in grief, urging the people of Uttarakhand to continue supporting the family and demanding capital punishment for those accused in the case that shook the state in 2022. Ankita Bhandari, a resident of the Pauri district, used to work at Vanantra Resort in Rishikesh. It is alleged that the resort owner, Pulkit Arya and his associates, Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit, had murdered Ankita by pushing her into the barrage. The body of Ankita Bhandari was recovered from the Chilla canal in Rishikesh on September 24. She was reported missing for at least six days before the officials found her body. An SIT headed by Deputy Inspector General of Police P Renuka Devi was initially probing the case. The first hearing of the case started on January 30, 2023, in the ADJ Court in Kotdwar. After the SIT investigation, a 500-page chargesheet was filed in the court by the prosecution regarding this murder. After the charges were framed against the three accused of this sensational murder, Vanantra Resort owner Pulkit Arya, his employee Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta, the testimony of the prosecution started from March 28, 2023. In the hearing that lasted for about two years and eight months, 47 witnesses, including the investigator, were examined in the court on behalf of the prosecution. However, the SIT had made 97 witnesses in this case, of which only 47 important witnesses were produced in the court. (ANI)
Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
'She wanted to escape': How 100 witnesses, exhaustive evidence exposed VIP cover-up, led to justice in Rishikesh resort murder case
NEW DELHI: The verdict arrived like a long-awaited storm in Kotdwar's courtroom, quiet but crushing. More than two years and eight months after a 19-year-old receptionist was murdered in cold blood, the gavel finally fell. Resort owner Pulkit Arya, along with Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta, was sentenced to life imprisonment. For those who had followed the case, one that had stunned Uttarakhand and the nation, it was a grim vindication. The verdict, delivered by the additional district and sessions judge, came after a painstaking trial involving 47 witnesses, their testimonies stretching over nearly three years. The charges were as damning as the headlines that once blazed across national media. The trio stood convicted under multiple sections of murder, destruction of evidence, criminal conspiracy, and sexual harassment. The court also found them guilty under the Immoral Traffic Prevention Act, lending judicial weight to early suspicions that the Vanantra Resort in Rishikesh, where the victim worked, was a front for something far darker. One witness didn't mince words, calling the resort 'a den of vice.' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Buy Brass Idols - Handmade Brass Statues for Home & Gifting Luxeartisanship Buy Now Undo The girl had only been 19, employed at a property owned by Pulkit Arya, son of a now-expelled BJP leader. In the weeks before her death, she had reached out to those she trusted. A former colleague and a close friend both later revealed she had confided in them - terrified, desperate, and deeply uneasy. She told them she was being pushed to provide 'special services' to an incoming VIP guest. 'She wanted to escape from there,' said an officer from the Special Investigation Team (SIT), which later took over the probe. But she never got the chance. On September 18, 2022, she was killed for refusing those demands. Her body surfaced six days later, dumped in the Chilla canal. The crime, horrifying in its brutality and made more incendiary by the accused's political connections, lit a fuse of public outrage. Protests broke out across the state. A high-level investigation was ordered. At the centre of it all was the SIT, led by DIG P Renuka Devi. Their investigation produced a 500-page chargesheet. The evidence was exhaustive: about 100 witness statements and 30 pieces of documentary proof. Yet, it was two voices that ultimately helped crack the case wide open - the victim's confidantes. Her friend and the ex-employee both confirmed what she had feared: the resort was not what it seemed, and she was desperate to leave. Initially, much of what was known came from WhatsApp chats with her friend, some of which were later leaked online. But investigators discovered she had also spoken to the former employee, warning them about the illegal activities at the resort and her fear of being forced to serve a powerful, unnamed VIP. Senior officers later confirmed that narco-tests were requested for the accused in hopes of identifying this shadowy figure. His name, even today, remains unknown. When the day of the verdict arrived, Pauri Garhwal's courtroom was transformed. Security was tight. Officers from nearby districts were brought in. The area around the courthouse was designated a 'zero zone' - a perimeter of 100 metres where only government staff and approved attendees were allowed entry. Outside, emotions overflowed. Soni Devi, the victim's mother, broke down as she addressed the media. 'May the criminals be sentenced to death,' she told ANI. Her words rang heavy with grief and fury, echoing the pain that first gripped Uttarakhand back in 2022 and the demand for justice that never wavered.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Rishikesh resort receptionist murder case: Court sentences ex-BJP minister's son Pulkit Arya, his two aides to life imprisonment
KOTDWAR: The additional district and sessions court (ADJ Court) at Kotdwar delivered its verdict on Fri, finding all three accused— resort owner Pulkit Arya, his employee Saurabh Bhaskar, and associate Ankit Gupta—guilty of murder of the 19-year-old receptionist working in the resort. The court sentenced the trio to life imprisonment under IPC sections 302 (murder), 201 (destruction of evidence) and the Immoral Traffic Prevention Act. Arya has also been convicted under IPC section 354 A (sexual harassment). Ahead of the verdict, extensive security arrangements were put in place by the police administration in Kotdwar. The prosecution had submitted a 500-page charge sheet in the court. The court found that the evidence produced by the prosecution proved that the deceased girl was pressurised for 'extra services' to a VIP guest and after she refused to do so, she was killed. Arya is the son of now-expelled BJP leader Vinod Arya, who was a minister of state in the Trivendra Singh Rawat government till 2021. The victim had been employed as a receptionist at the resort for about 20 days before she was killed, allegedly after sexual assault. Her murder set off protests throughout the state, prompting the state government to set up a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the matter. Poll What do you believe should be the focus for lawmakers after this case? Strengthening women's safety laws Improving investigation and prosecution process
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Business Standard
3 days ago
- Business Standard
Ankita Bhandari murder case: Court give life imprisonment to three accused
A court of Additional District Judge (ADJ) in Uttarakhand's Pauri district on Friday sentenced three accused to life imprisonment in the 2022 Ankita Bhandari murder case. Ankita Bhandari (19) worked at Vanantra Resort, in Yamkeshwar of Pauri district, as a receptionist. She was murdered by the resort owner, Pulkit Arya (the son of now expelled BJP leader Vinod Arya), and two of his employees, Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta, on September 18, 2022, news agency PTI reported. The three were convicted under multiple sections, including Section 302 (murder), Section 201 (destruction of evidence), Section 120B (criminal conspiracy), Section 354A (sexual harassment), and provisions of the Immoral Traffic Prevention Act. Reports suggest that Ankita was pushed into the barrage by the resort owner and his two employees. Bhandari was reported missing for at least six days before her body was recovered on September 24 from the Chilla canal in Rishikesh. The incident triggered protests by locals seeking justice for the 19-year-old victim. Following the intensified protests, the Uttarakhand government formed a special investigation team to probe the murder. Parts of the resort where Ankita worked were also demolished in an order passed by the authorities, alleging some structures were constructed illegally. Investigation revealed that Bhandari and Arya, the main accused, had a dispute over something, following which the three accused pushed her into a barrage. Speaking to ANI, the victim's mother urged the people of Uttarakhand to support their family in seeking capital punishment for those accused in the case. She said, 'May the criminals be sentenced to death...I appeal to the public of Uttarakhand to keep on supporting us and come to the Kotdwar court to boost our morale.' The hearing of the case began in January 2023 in the ADJ court in Kotdwar. The prosecution filed a 500-page chargesheet in the court. In a trial that lasted nearly two years, the court examined 47 witnesses out of the 97 witnesses listed. (With agency inputs)
India Gazette
3 days ago
- India Gazette
Court sentences Pulkit Arya, two others to Life imprisonment in Ankita Bhandari murder case
Kotdwar (Uttarakhand) [India], May 30 (ANI): In a significant verdict, the Additional District Judge (ADJ) court in Kotdwar has sentenced all three accused in the Ankita Bhandari murder case--resort owner Pulkit Arya, Saurabh Bhaskar, and Ankit Gupta--to life imprisonment. The Additional District and Sessions Judge Court Kotdwar in Uttarakhand convicted the trio under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including Section 302 (murder), Section 201 (destruction of evidence), Section 120B (criminal conspiracy), Section 354A (sexual harassment), and provisions of the Immoral Traffic Prevention Act. The court pronounced the verdict after a thorough trial, confirming the charges against the trio. Earlier, the accused were found guilty of the brutal murder of 19-year-old Ankita Bhandari, a receptionist at a resort in Rishikesh, whose case had sparked widespread outrage across the state. Meanwhile, while speaking to ANI, the victim's mother, Soni Devi, broke down in grief, urging the people of Uttarakhand to continue supporting the family and demanding capital punishment for those accused in the case that shook the state in 2022. Speaking to ANI, the victim's mother, Devi, said, '...May the criminals be sentenced to death...I appeal to the public of Uttarakhand to keep on supporting us and come to the Kotdwar court to boost our morale' Ankita Bhandari, a resident of Pauri district, used to work in Vanantra Resort of Rishikesh. It is alleged that the resort owner, Pulkit Arya and his associates, Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit, had murdered Ankita by pushing her into the barrage. The body of Ankita Bhandari was recovered from the Chilla canal in Rishikesh on September 24. She was reported missing for at least six days before the officials found her body. An SIT headed by Deputy Inspector General of Police P Renuka Devi was initially probing the case. The first hearing of the case started on January 30, 2023, in the ADJ Court in Kotdwar. After the SIT investigation, a 500-page chargesheet was filed in the court by the prosecution regarding this murder. After the charges were framed against the three accused of this sensational murder, Vanantra Resort owner Pulkit Arya, his employee Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta, the testimony of the prosecution started from March 28, 2023. In the hearing that lasted for about two years and eight months, 47 witnesses, including the investigator, were examined in the court on behalf of the prosecution. However, the SIT had made 97 witnesses in this case, out of which only 47 important witnesses were produced in the court. (ANI)
