Nainital, 8 Oct: The Uttarakhand High Court today heard the matter concerning the life imprisonment awarded to Pulkit Arya and Saurabh Bhaskar, the main accused in the high-profile Ankita Bhandari murder case. During the hearing, the division bench comprising Chief Justice G Narendar and Justice Subhash Upadhyaya directed the petitioners that objections be filed in the petitions and instructed that all the lower court documents be made available to parties who have not yet received them. This, the HC bench observed, would ensure that the matter may proceed further on the next date of hearing.
During the hearing, the government through its counsel informed the court that, in compliance with an earlier order, all the documents related to the case have already been submitted to the High Court. The court has now fixed 17 November for the final hearing.
It is worth noting that both convicts have challenged the Kotdwar Court’s verdict sentencing them to life imprisonment.
It may be recalled that the Additional District and Sessions Court, Kotdwar, had convicted the accused on 30 May 2025 and sentenced them to life imprisonment. During the trial, 47 witnesses were presented. The convicts have now approached the High Court challenging the decision of the district court. During the hearing, the counsel for the accused also argued that no eyewitness had been produced during the trial.
It may be reminded here that Ankita Bhandari’s body was recovered from the Chilla Canal. The government submitted that the location of the accused and their two associates was traced to the crime scene, and forensic evidence corroborated their presence. Additionally, Ankita Bhandari had referred to these developments in her WhatsApp messages. It was also revealed that the accused had deactivated the resort’s CCTV cameras and tampered with the DVR system.
It may be recalled further that the murder of Ankita Bhandari in September 2022 had triggered widespread outrage across the country. Bhandari was employed as a receptionist at the resort owned by Pulkit Arya who was the son of a BJP leader from Haridwar. Allegations had emerged that Pulkit Arya was coercing Ankita Bhandari to engage in unlawful activities. Pulkit Arya’s father, Vinod Arya, was a Lal Batti holder equivalent to the rank of a Minister of State in the Trivendra Singh Rawat government, while his brother, Ankit Arya, held a Lal Batti post in the Tirath Singh Rawat government. Following the exposure of the case, both were removed from their respective posts and also expelled from the party. The incident had sparked massive protests across Uttarakhand, with citizens demanding justice for Ankita. The incident was understandably politicised by the Opposition which accuses the BJP Government of trying to save the culprits in the case. However, the government claims that there was no political interference in the investigations and the SIT probing the case had been told to ensure a foolproof case against the culprits. Finally, the Additional District & Sessions Court found the evidence strong enough to convict the accused and award them life imprisonment, which has now been challenged in the High Court by the convicts Pulkit Arya and Saurabh Bhaskar.
