Eight years after former youth Congress leader Sushil Sharma allegedly murdered his wife Naina Sahni and burnt the body in the tandoor of a restaurant in Delhi, the trial court is ready to pronounce its judgment in the case on Wednesday.
The prosecution has submitted 62 judgments in support of its case, while the defence cited 32 rulings, Additional Sessions Judge G P Thareja had said on September 23.
According to the 19-page charge sheet submitted by the Delhi police, Sharma had doubts about Sahni's fidelity. He believed she was having an affair with her classmate and fellow Congress worker Matloob Karim. This suspicion led to marital discord and, police alleged, domestic violence. Besides, Sharma wanted to keep his marriage with Sahni a secret affair, which the latter opposed.
On July 2, 1995, when Sharma reached his flat at Mandir Marg in the heart of the capital, he saw Sahni talking to someone on the telephone, police alleged.
Seeing him, she put down the receiver. Sharma re-dialed the number to find out who was on the other end. His suspicion was confirmed when Karim answered the phone.
Incensed, Sharma allegedly fired three shots from his licensed revolver at Sahni. One bullet pierced her head, another hit her in the neck while the third missed her and hit an air conditioner.
Sahni died on the spot. Sharma wrapped her body and tried to burn it in the tandoor.
That night, Sharma stayed with his IAS friend D K Rao at Gujarat Bhavan and fled to Jaipur the next day. From there, Sharma went to Mumbai and later Chennai and, along the way, secured anticipatory bail.
A police team led by Additional Commissioner of Police Maxwell Pereira flew to Chennai, but Sharma fled to Bangalore, where he surrendered on July 10, 1995.