“Romesh Sharma, I am convicting you for hatching the conspiracy to murder Budhiraja,” Additional Sessions Judge S P Garg said, pronouncing the verdict.

The ASJ also held Sharma’s five associates, four men and a woman, guilty of murder.

The Delhi Police had chargesheeted ten persons for the murder of Budhiraja, who was stabbed at Sharma’s farmhouse in south Delhi on March 20, 1999, when she was 29 years old. Four of them — Devender, Ganga Ram, Sudesh and Rakesh — were declared proclaimed offenders.

Sharma was accused of plotting the murder from Tihar Jail where he was lodged in connection with some other cases.

Others held guilty were Sharma’s nephew Surinder Mishra, Tejinder Virdi alias Dolly, Hemchand, Satnam and Ramesh. The last three were the alleged hired killers who were paid for carrying out the murder.

The court, however, acquitted another woman accused in the case, Jaspreet Virdi alias Sonu, Dolly’s sister, saying there was no evidence against her.

The quantum of sentence against Sharma and others will be announced on February 18. They may invite the maximum sentence of capital punishment.

While Sharma appeared quite unperturbed by the conviction, Sonu could not control her emotions after her acquittal and broke down before the judge.

Dolly and Sonu were out on bail while the other five accused, including Sharma, were already in judicial custody. S K Sharma, the counsel for Romesh Sharma later said they will move the High Court, irrespective of the quantum.

Sharma, who had an affair with Budhiraja, had conspired with others to eliminate her as she had allegedly started usurping his assets, the prosecution said, adding that Budhiraja was murdered by people hired by Surinder Mishra.

Sharma’s nephew had taken the victim to his farmhouse, Jai Mata Di, under the pretext of a ‘puja’. There, she was stabbed by a group of hired gangsters from Uttar Pradesh.

According to the prosecution, Sharma is standing trial in as many as 16 other cases.

In 1996, Sharma had hired a two-seater helicopter to campaign against Mulayam Singh Yadav and Kanshi Ram in his home constituency of Phulpur, and did not return it to the leasing company, Pushpak Aviation. Later, the company’s commercial director, Suresh Rao, was allegedly made to sign documents relating to the sale of the helicopter. The case is pending in a Tis Hazari court.

M K Subba, a Congress (I) MP from Assam had earlier filed a complaint that Sharma had grabbed a farmhouse in Chattarpur from him. When Subba sought to press his case, he allegedly received threats. Subba eventually sold the house to Sharma, signing a sale deed acknowledging receipt of payment, which the MP claimed was never made.

During a raid later on Sharma’s properties, police had found 15 cars, including three Mercedes Benz models, shares worth Rs 1 crore, gold and silver valued at Rs 50 lakh and skins of various animals, including those of protected species. The weapon that was allegedly used to threaten Suresh Rao, a prohibited bore .32 Smith and Wesson, was also seized.

(With PTI)