Allahabad High Court grants bail to Vipin Bhati in wife Nikki Bhati’s murder case

The husband of Nikki Bhati, a 28-year-old Greater Noida resident who died of severe burn injuries in her house, was granted bail by the Allahabad High Court on Monday

The husband of Nikki Bhati, a 28-year-old Greater Noida resident who died of severe burn injuries in her house, was granted bail by the Allahabad High Court on Monday.

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The court headed by Justice Sameer Jain allowed Vipin Bhati’s bail application without expressing any opinion on the merits of the case. “Let the applicant released on bail furnishing a personal bond and two sureties, appearing before the trial court as required, not threatening or influencing witnesses or tampering with evidence, and not engaging in criminal or anti-social activities,” the order said.

Vipin had been in prison since August 2025. According to his lawyer, Amit Bhati, the case was heard by court on October 6 and order was released on Monday.

In August last year, Nikki was rushed to a private hospital in Greater Noida with severe burn injuries, from where doctors referred her to a hospital in Delhi, where she was declared brought dead. Following the incident, Nikki’s family made a series of allegations against her husband’s family, including the demand for dowry, mental harassment, objections over the use of social media and assault, which hit national headlines.

On August 24, police arrested Nikki’s husband, Vipin — whom she married in 2016 — along with his brother Rohit, father Satveer, and mother Daya on charges of murder, voluntarily causing hurt, and criminal conspiracy. Police later filed a 173-page chargesheet on November 20, naming the four as accused.

Her son and sister, who is also married into the same family, were witnesses in the case.

In the HC, Vipin’s counsel argued that the allegations against him were false and that Nikki had sustained burn injuries accidentally. He submitted that tensions had also developed between Nikki and Vipin over the relationship of the two sisters.

The defence also questioned the reliability of the statement given by their five-year-old son. “The child’s statement was recorded on October 31, 2025, approximately two months after the incident,” notes the order. Vipin’s counsel further submitted that he and his family had made every effort to provide Nikki with medical treatment but were unsuccessful in saving her.

Opposing the bail plea, the additional government advocate (AGA) argued that Vipin had “tortured” his wife and that the circumstances indicated his involvement in her death. The prosecution also maintained that the child’s statement should not be rejected merely because it had been recorded after a delay, considering his young age.

The court noted inconsistencies between the informant’s statement in the FIR and her statement recorded during the investigation regarding the circumstances in which Nikki sustained burn injuries. The court also considered the hospital CCTV footage, which showed that Nikki was taken to the hospital by her neighbour Devendra, along with the applicant’s elder brother.

It observed that the statements of the treating doctor and nurse indicated that Nikki had told them she had sustained burn injuries accidentally. It also noted that Nikki’s brother, Rohit, had stated that he could not confirm whether she had been burnt by Vipin or anyone else.

The court further observed that the statement of Nikki and Vipin’s five-year-old son, recorded approximately two months and ten days after the incident, could not rule out the possibility that he had been tutored. It also noted that the possibility of suicide due to strained relations between the couple could not be ruled out.

“Considering the overall facts and circumstances, the court observed that there was no material on record prima facie suggesting that Vipin had burnt the deceased,” added the order.

Earlier, in May 2026, Nikki’s family reportedly turned hostile after her family had reached a settlement with her in-laws. Nikki’s parents-in-law agreed to transfer property to her son as part of the settlement, her father Bhikari Singh had told HT.