The prosecution in the Shivani Bhatnagar murder case on Monday told a Delhi sessions court that the victim had confided about her intimate relationship with key accused R K Sharma to a close friend. Sharma is a senior officer of the Indian Police Service's Haryana cadre.
While presenting the final argument before Additional Sessions Judge Rajender Kumar Shastri, Special Public Prosecutor S K Saxena referred to the testimony of key witness Saijal Shah. Saxena claimed that Shivani had told Shah that she was having an affair with Sharma.
Shah, a journalist by profession and a key prosecution witness, had testified that Shivani had informed her about the relationship with Sharma. However, the defence had claimed that Shah's testimony had been fabricated at the behest of Shivani's husband Rakesh Bhatnagar.
The prosecution stated that Shah's efforts to muster courage and speak the truth before the court should be admired.
The prosecution and the defence will resume their arguments on August 27.
Shivani, a principal correspondent with The Indian Express, was found murdered in her apartment at eastern Delhi on January 23, 1999. According to the prosecution, Sharma, along with the other five accused in the case, had conspired to kill Shivani as he wanted to get rid of their relationship.
