Judgement on Hema Upadhyay, Haresh Bhambhani murders likely on October 5

Upadhyay, an installation artist, and her lawyer Harish Bhambhani were allegedly smothered to death on December 12, 2015. Their bodies were packed in cardboard boxes and dumped in a drain in Kandivali in suburban Mumbai

MUMBAI: Eight years after artist Hema Upadhyay and her lawyer Haresh Bhambhani were found murdered, a sessions court on Wednesday reserved the judgement in the case. Four men, including Hema’s estranged husband artist Chintan Upadhyay, are facing trial on charges including murder. The judgement is now likely to be delivered on October 5.

Mumbai, India - Sep 27, 2023 : Artist Chintan Upadhyay is accused of final argument at sessions court in suburban Dindoshi Court at Goregaon, in Mumbai, India, Wednesday, Sep 27, 2023. (Photo by Vijay Bate/HT Photo)

Upadhyay, an installation artist, and her lawyer Harish Bhambhani were allegedly smothered to death on December 12, 2015. Their bodies were packed in cardboard boxes and dumped in a drain in Kandivali in suburban Mumbai.

The bodies were spotted by a garbage collector, following which an investigation started into the case. According to the prosecution, Hema had not been on good terms with her estranged husband Chintan Upadhyay, who allegedly was the “pioneer of the conspiracy” to murder his wife and her lawyer.

The prosecution, in its final submission on September 2, argued that Chintan Upadhyay was driven by “hatred” towards Hema and her lawyer, said special prosecutor Vaibhav Bagade. According to the prosecution, Chintan conspired and hired Vidyadhar Rajbhar, who is accused of executing the murders along with others.

Vidyadhar has not been arrested till now. But the other accused -- Vijay Rajbhar, Pradeep Rajbhar, Shivkumar Rajbhar and Azad Rajbhar, who were alleged to have been part of the murder, were put behind bars along with Chintan Upadhyay. In 2021, the Supreme Court granted bail to Chintan Upadhyay.