Ankita Bhandari’s mother calls for death penalty, may challenge life sentence in High Court
PIONEER NEWS SERVICE | Dehradun
Ankita Bhandari’s mother Soni Devi said on Friday that she may approach the High Court to challenge the trial court’s verdict that sentenced all three accused Pulkit Arya, Ankit Gupta and Saurabh Bhaskar to life imprisonment for the murder of her daughter. While she acknowledged the court’s decision as a step toward justice, she expressed dissatisfaction, saying that the punishment should have been the death penalty.
Speaking to the media after the judgment, Soni Devi said, “This may seem like a big victory but I am not fully satisfied. They should have been sentenced to death so that others think a hundred times before committing such a crime.” She added that only a mother can understand the pain of what her daughter suffered.
She also thanked the people of Uttarakhand for standing with her family throughout the legal battle and said that this verdict is a collective win for all who supported them. Bhandari was 19- years-old and working as a receptionist at the Vanantara Resort in Yamkeshwar, operated by Pulkit Arya. She was murdered on September 18, 2022, after allegedly resisting pressure to give ‘special service’ to a VIP guest. Her body was found five days later in the Chilla canal near Rishikesh. All three accused including Arya, along with his associates Ankit Gupta and Saurabh Bhaskar were arrested on September 23, 2022.
The case was investigated by a Special Investigation Team led by DIG Renuka Devi. The trial began in January 2023 in the Kotdwar ADJ Court and continued for two years and eight months. The court found all three accused guilty on Friday under multiple sections, including Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code and sentenced them to rigorous life imprisonment. Though the sentencing brought some relief to the family and supporters, Soni Devi reiterated that justice would be complete only when the punishment matches the severity of the crime. “We will not hesitate to knock on the doors of the High Court if needed,” she said.
