SC admits Delhi Police appeal against acquittal of Suhaib Ilyasi in murder case

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The Supreme Court Friday admitted the appeal filed by Delhi Police against a high court order that acquitted former TV anchor and producer Suhaib Ilyasi of the charge of killing his wife 19 years ago.

Ilyasi, who had shot into limelight after hosting TV crime show, India's Most Wanted, was acquitted of the murder charges by the Delhi High Court on October 5, last year saying that the prosecution's case was not established.

A Delhi court had on December 20, 2017 sentenced Ilyasi to life term for stabbing his wife to death, saying he "committed murder and gave it a colour of suicide".

A bench of Justices L Nageswara Rao and M R Shah said they have already admitted a similar appeal filed by complainant Rukma Singh, mother of the victim Anju Singh.

"Leave granted," the bench said in its order and tagged it along with Rukma's plea, admitted for hearing on January 28.

The high court held that there was nothing to suggest that 52-year old Ilyasi deliberately delayed medical assistance for his wife Anju, who was first taken to a private hospital and then to the AIIMS, where she was declared dead.

The incident had taken place on the intervening night of January 10-11, 2000 when Anju was rushed to a hospital with stab wounds she received at her East Delhi residence.

The high court had said that merely because the victim was found to be in good spirits around two hours prior to the incident, it would not rule out the possibility of her committing suicide by stabbing herself as a result of her quarrel with her husband.

The report of the five-member medical board, it said, contained no specific reasons for the conclusion that the preponderance of evidence in this case points towards "commission of homicide".

The trial court had also imposed a fine of Rs 2 lakh on him and directed that Rs 10 lakh be paid as compensation to Anju's parents.

Earlier, Ilyasi was charged under 304 B (dowry death) of the IPC.

However, Rukma Singh and Anju's sister Rashmi had moved the Delhi High Court which in August 2014 ruled that the former TV producer would be tried under Section 302 of the IPC for the offence of murder.

Ilyasi was arrested on March 28, 2000. Charges were framed against him in the case after his sister-in-law and mother-in-law alleged that he used to torture Anju for dowry. He was later granted bail.