Hema Upadhyay-Harish Bhambhani murder case: Prosecution says 5-7 witnesses left to examine

Mumbai: The prosecution told the court on Friday that it has five to seven more witnesses left to present its evidence against six persons, including artist Chintan Upadhyay, who are under arrest for murdering his wife, artist Hema Upadhyay and her lawyer Harish Bhambhani

Mumbai: The prosecution told the court on Friday that it has five to seven more witnesses left to present its evidence against six persons, including artist Chintan Upadhyay, who are under arrest for murdering his wife, artist Hema Upadhyay and her lawyer Harish Bhambhani.

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On Friday, the trial court said that the matter was time-bound and the period stipulated by the apex court was over. The court requested for an extension but also said that the prosecution should examine its witnesses as early as possible. In 2019, the top court had directed that the trial should be completed within nine months, but the court sought extensions as it couldn’t meet the deadline.

Of the witnesses left to be examined, one is from Uttar Pradesh and another is from Bengaluru, whom will be examined over video conferencing. The investigating officers of the case are also yet to be examined by the prosecution.

Hema and Bhambhani were killed on December 11, 2015. Their bodies were found stuffed in cardboard boxes, which were thrown into a ditch in Kandivali.

According to the prosecution, the murders were the handywork of Hema’s husband, Chintan Upadhyay, who was arrested on December 22, 2015. The police investigation revealed that Chintan had purportedly hired Vidhyadhar Rajbhar to murder the duo. While Vidhyadhar is still absconding, the other accused in the case – Shiv Kumar Rajbhar, Pradip Kumar Rajbhar, Vijay Kumar Rajbhar and Azad Rajbhar -- were arrested following the probe and are under arrest.