Shivani bhatanagar murder case
Express news service
Posted: Mar 18, 2008 at 0043 hrs IST
New Delhi, March 17
Jan 23, 1999 Shivani Bhatnagar, principal correspondent of Indian Express, murdered in her East Delhi flat, when she was with her infant son
* July 30, 2002: Delhi Police arrest Sri Bhagwan as he allegedly spills the beans on IPS officer R K Sharma.
* August 03,2002: Delhi police team raids Sharma’s residence at Panchkula in Haryana. Pradeep Sharma, the alleged killer, arrested by Police.
* Aug 7, 2002: Delhi police releases Sharma’s picture and declare a reward of Rs 50,000 for his arrest. A Delhi court also issue a non-bailable warrant against him.
* Aug 8, 2002: Sharma’s wife Madhu Sharma, flanked by her two daughters-Pragati and Komal-holds a press conference at their residence in Panchkula claiming her husband as “totally innocent” and alleged that “some influential person” was keen to frame him and also demanded a CBI probe to unravel the truth.
* Aug 12, 2002: Delhi police gets forensic report on the handwriting and fingerprints of one of the accused -Pradeep Sharma.
* Aug 14, 2002: Sharma removed from the post of IG (Prisons) for failing to join duty after expiry of his leave.
* Aug 15, 2002: Madhu Sharma alleges Union communication minister Pramod Mahajan involved in Shivani’s murder, Mahajan refutes the allegations and says that he shared a purely professional relationship with Shivani.
* Aug 16, 2002: Delhi police gives a clean chit to Pramod Mahajan.
* Aug 17, 2002: Police confirms arrest of another accused Satya Prakash from Faridabad.
* Aug 18, 2002: Another suspect Ved Sharma picked up from Gurgaon.
* Aug 23, 2002: Sharma suspended from service.
* Sept 9, 2002: Delhi High Court rejects Sharma’s bail plea. It allows police to initiate process of declaring Sharma as Proclaimed offender (PO) and to attach his property.
* Sept 17, 2002: Delhi police began attaching Sharma’s properties.
* Sept 27, 2002: Sharma surrenders in a court in Ambala, which sent him to Judicial custody till October 5. He was later brought to Delhi.
* Oct 25, 2002: Police file chargesheet in the case, charging all the accused under various Section of the IPC including 302 (murder), 120 B (conspiracy), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence).
* Mar 3, 2003: Court frames charges against all the accused.
* Mar 20, 2003: Trial begins in the case as accused plead not guilty and claim trial.
* Mar 26, 2003: Sharma released on parole to attend his daughter’s marriage
* May 14, 2003: Police claim to have found some “classified” documents from Shivani’s flat, corroborating the prosecution’s claim that he used to pass on secret papers to her.
* July 8, 2003: Shivani’s sister Sevanti tells court that the scribe had confided about her plans to expose Sharma.
* Jan 22, 2004: Shivani’s husband Rakesh Bhatnagar admits that he knew about the friendship of Sharma with his wife.
* July 13, 2004: Sharma gets parole for last rites of his mother.
* Jan 23, 2006: Trial of the case shifted to a Fast Track Court.
* Feb 10, 2006: Sharma released on parole for attending his second daughter’s wedding
* Feb 2, 2007: Prosecution wraps up its evidence
* Feb 13, 2007: Sharma starts recording his statement; claims Shivani knew many politicians.
* Aug 14, 2007: Final arguments in the case begin.
March 5, 2008
Court declares final arguments closed and fixes March 18 as the date for announcing verdict
