Sharma gets life sentence

Author: Anshuman G Dutta Date: 25 Mar 2008

The court praises former IPS officer as an ‘asset to the nation’, but was unequivocal regarding the harshness of the degree of punishment

ASSEST: Suspended IPS officer R K Sharma comes out from Karkardooma court

Except for a crime (murder) which was not of "that ilk which could shock the conscience of society", R K Sharma was an asset to the nation, a local court observed while sentencing the suspended IPS officer to life imprisonment and imposing a fine of Rs 20,000 for conspiracy to murder.

The punishment

Additional Sessions Judge R K Shastri handed down the life terms to the other three convicts for the murder of Indian Express journalist Shivani Bhatnagar.

The judgment in the sensational murder case came after five years of protracted legal battle, which witnessed many highs and lows both for the prosecution and the defence.

The court praised Sharma for his "distinguished" career as an IPS officer, having served top assignments including those with the Prime Minister's Office and the United Nations but at the same time was unequivocal regarding the harshness of the degree of punishment for his crime. "The degree of the judgment could be ascertained with one sentence which prescribes To dump him (Sharma) in jail till he breathes his last," it said.

"The murder in itself is an abominable and heinous crime, offender of which can never be pardoned," it said.

Rejecting prosecution's plea for death sentence to the convicts, the court held that it was not the "rarest of rare" cases attracting the capital punishment. It justified life imprisonment, saying "a life devoid of the fundamental liberties is nothing more than an animal existence".

Strained relationship

Sharma was convicted as the main conspirator who co-opted with Shri Bhagwan Sharma, Satya Prakash Sharma and Pradeep Sharma to get Shivani killed over a strained relationship with the scribe. The court termed Pradeep a "distracted youth impelled to do a wicked act of killing a person". It was of the view that though Pradeep had been convicted in a case of cheating it did not qualify him being a danger to society.

The defence counsels said that they would soon file appeals in the High Court.

I am a Pauper

R K Sharma will be paid Rs 52 daily or dihadi in jail terms out of which Rs 13 will be paid to the Shivani Bhatnagar's family. The dismissed IPS officer will fall in the category of skilled labourer and will be given desk jobs like file handling and etc.

If he pays the fine imposed on him through his daily wages then he will have to wait for one year and three months (approximately) to collect the required sum of Rs 20,000.

"I am a beggar here and I have not earned anything for last five years, how can I pay the fine?" said Sharma. When asked for his reaction, "hardly matters" was the reply of a nonchalant Sharma.

Unlike the last time when he made the whole police escort team wait for the court's order, Sharma was handed the copy of the judgment almost immediately.