SC admits appeal against Suhaib Ilyasi’s acquittal

THE HIGH COURT LAST OCTOBER ACQUITTED ILYASI. IN 2017, A TRIAL COURT HAD CONVICTED HIM OF MURDERING

HIS WIFE

NEW DELHI: Delhi Police’s appeal against the acquittal of former TV anchor and producer Suhaib Ilyasi was on Friday admitted by the Supreme Court.

The Delhi High Court in October last year acquitted Ilyasi after he had been in 2017 convicted of murdering his wife Anju Ilyasi by a trial court and sentenced to life in prison.

A bench headed by Justice LN Rao on Friday said it has already admitted an appeal filed by the complainant, Ilyasi’s mother-inlaw Rukma Singh. “Leave granted,” the bench said in its order and tagged it along with Rukma’s plea while setting January 28 as the next date of hearing.

Ilyasi was acquitted by the Delhi High Court on October 5 last year saying the prosecution had failed to establish a case against him. Ilyasi had shot to fame after hosting a popular TV crime show, I ndia’s Most Wanted.

The Delhi High Court had last year set aside a trial court’s December 20, 2017, judgement that had sentenced Ilyasi to life in prison for stabbing his wife to death. The trial court had said that he had ‘committed murder and gave it a colour of suicide.’

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

The Delhi High Court had later, however, held that there was no evidence to establish that Ilyasi had delayed medical assistance to his wife, Anju, as alleged by the prosecution. Anju was first taken to a private hospital and then moved to 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.