Court frames charges in Soumya murder case

NEW DELHI - A city court Saturday framed charges against the five men accused of involvement in the murder of TV journalist Soumya Vishwanathan.

Additional Sessions Judge S.K. Sarvaria said there was sufficient evidence against the five to prosecute them.

The court would start recording testimony of witnesses April 23.

The court also said that there was sufficient evidence to prosecute prime accused Ravi Kapoor under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crimes Act (MCOCA) for running a syndicate of car-jackers.

Kapoor, Baljeet Singh Malik, Amit Shukla and Ajay Kumar have also been charged under sections 302 (murder) and 34 (common intention) of the IPC. The fifth accused, Ajay Sethi, has been charged with keeping stolen property.

Kapoor, along with other three accused, had tailed the journalist of Headlines Today TV news channel and allegedly shot her on the night of September 30 last year when she was returning home by her car from office around 3:30 a.m.