Jhanvi Kukreja murder case: Accused Shree Jogdhankar convicted; co-accused Diya Padalkar acquitted

MUMBAI: A sessions tribunal connected Saturday convicted and sentenced Shree Jogdhankar to beingness imprisonment successful the 2021 execution lawsuit of 19-year-old Jhanvi Kukreja, much than 5 years aft the incidental occurred connected New Year's Eve. Co-accused Diya Padalkar was, however, acquitted. Jogdhankar and Padalkar, some successful their 20s, had faced execution charges. Jhanvi and Padalkar were puerility friends and neighbours. “The parent of the deceased does not question vengeance, but arsenic the unfortunate she seeks dignity, closure, and the assurance that her child’s beingness mattered successful the eyes of the instrumentality and successful the anticipation to guarantee that justness is done. The execution of Jhanvi Kukreja was perpetrated successful a brutal, heinous and barbaric mode inflicting ruthless unit upon her to instrumentality her life,” the victim’s parent Niddhi Kukreja’s advocator Trivankumar Karnani submitted successful court. Special nationalist authoritative Pradip Gharat submitted that the incidental took spot during a year-ending enactment held connected the terrace of Bhagwati Heights successful Khar. According to the prosecution’s submissions, Jhanvi was recovered dormant successful a excavation of humor adjacent the building's staircase astir 2.30am connected Jan 1, 2021. Jhanvi, a science student, lived successful Santacruz. Padalkar (23) and Jogdhankar (26) were arrested for allegedly assaulting Jhanvi connected the staircase and murdering her aft attending the enactment astatine the Khar building.

It was alleged that Jhanvi was dragged down the stairs from the 5th level aft a combat allegedly broke retired among them implicit Jogdhankar’s intimacy with Padalkar. Jhanvi’s last post-mortem introspection study stated that she had suffered 48 injuries. Padalkar, who was Jhanvi’s neighbour and had known her since childhood, is retired connected bail, portion Jogdhankar remains successful jail. They person pleaded not blameworthy to the execution charge. The prosecution examined 49 witnesses to found a concatenation of circumstantial evidence, including CCTV footage and forensic reports. Gharat argued that Jogdhankar was seen leaving the gathering successful a dazed information with humor connected his torn shirt, portion Padalkar allegedly sought aesculapian attraction for a articulator wounded sustained during the committee of the crime. “The information that some the accused had travel to the enactment betwixt 00.05 to 00.15 hrs unneurotic connected a scooter sitting triple seat, however, they did not permission the enactment together, nor some the accused near unneurotic leaving Janhavi backmost successful the party, nor did they amusement immoderate interest for Janhavi portion leaving the enactment successful an effort to flight from the place.

The said facts are each the unchallenged facts,” Gharat submitted. The intervener successful the case, Niddhi Kukreja, submitted that her daughter's execution was perpetrated successful a brutal and barbaric manner, with the post-mortem study revealing 48 injuries. The intervener’s submissions pointed to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) reports confirming the beingness of Kukreja’s humor connected Jogdhankar’s garment and connected articles utilized by Padalkar. The prosecution submitted that DNA profiling conclusively established Jogdhankar’s biologic beingness astatine the transgression country and Padalkar’s interaction with blood-stained articles successful the level wherever she rested aft the incident. In his written submissions, Jogdhankar challenged the prosecution's case, stating it is based wholly connected circumstantial grounds without immoderate eyewitnesses. The defence argued that the prosecution failed to beryllium a implicit concatenation of grounds arsenic required by law. Jogdhankar’s lawyer Wahab Khan submitted that the injuries helium sustained were from a abrupt combat that occurred successful the vigor of the moment.