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Certain documents may have led to Shivani's murder

The Delhi high court was on Monday told that certain photographs and documents in journalist Shivani Bhatnagar's possession led to her murder.

Public Prosecutor S K Saxena made this statement before Justice M A Khan who was hearing the anticipatory bail plea of prime accused IPS officer Ravi Kant Sharma.

The matter had to be adjourned to Wednesday afternoon as defence counsel Dinesh Mathur could not conclude his arguments.

During the course of the hearing, Saxena told the court that three of the accused - Sri Bhagwan Sharma, Pradeep Kumar Sharma and Satya Prakash - had met Sharma in Delhi's Ashok Hotel, where Shivani was also present, a couple of weeks before the murder.

The main aim of the meeting was to introduce Shivani to the accused, he said.

After the murder, Pradeep Kumar and another accomplice had removed certain photographs and documents from Shivani's residence, Saxena said. These photographs and documents were the cause of the murder, he claimed.

The Delhi police did not challenge the affidavit filed by R K Sharma claiming that his signatures on the same were not genuine.

Sharma has been absconding since August 1 when he abruptly went on leave soon after the Delhi police announced the arrest of Sri Bhagwan Sharma. Pradeep Kumar Sharma and Satya Prakash are also in police custody.

Sharma had approached the Delhi high court for anticipatory bail last week after his bail application had been turned down by lower courts in Panchkula (Haryana) and Karkarduma (Delhi), respectively.

Delhi police has named two more persons - Ved Sharma and Ved alias Kalia - as being involved in the murder.

Incidentally, the police custody of Satya Prakash ends on Wednesday August 28 and he would be sent to judicial custody.

PTI adds
Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court on Monday dismissed a Public Interest Litigation seeking transfer of the journalist Shivani Bhatnagar murder case to the CBI.

The PIL had been filed by Manish Mishra, son of former Bihar chief minister Jagannath Mishra.

Mishra sought transfer of the case to the CBI on the ground that the wife of the prime suspect, senior IPS officer R K Sharma, had alleged that Union Minister Pramod Mahajan was involved in the murder.

Mahajan being a senior Union minister, Mishra argued that an impartial probe by the Delhi police could not be expected as it is working directly under the Union ministry of home affairs.

Rejecting the petition a bench comprising Chief Justice S B Sinha and Justice A K Sikri said there is nothing to suggest that the Delhi police is not investigating the case as per the law.

Shivani Bhatnagar murder case: Complete coverage

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