Artist Chintan Upadhyay Sentenced to Life Imprisonment for Abetting Murder of Estranged Wife Hema Upadhyay

Artist Chintan Upadhyay's sketches, initially submitted as evidence by the police to show his "mental condition," were ultimately rejected by the sessions court due to lack of expert testimony to interpret their meaning. The court, however, convicted Chintan based on circumstantial evidence, including a retracted confession from co-accused Pradeep Rajbhar and Call Data Records, as well as a "conspiracy" meeting in Chembur. Chintan was also found guilty of posting a song "Alvida Alvida" on his Facebook account the day before the murders, which the court considered as an indicator of his conduct. The court sentenced Chintan to life imprisonment for abetting and conspiring the murder of artist Hema Upadhyay on December 11, 2015.

Key Takeaways:

• Chintan Upadhyay's sketches, initially used as evidence by the police to depict his mental state, were rejected by the sessions court due to lack of expert interpretation.
• The court convicted Chintan based on circumstantial evidence, including a retracted confession of co-accused Pradeep Rajbhar and Call Data Records.
• A "conspiracy" meeting in Chembur was also held against Chintan, along with the posting of a song "Alvida Alvida" on his Facebook account the day before the murders.
• Chintan was found guilty of abetting and conspiring the murder of artist Hema Upadhyay on December 11, 2015.
• Three others - Vijay Rajbhar, Pradeep Rajbhar, and Shivkumar Rajbhar - were also sentenced to life imprisonment for committing the murders of Hema and her lawyer, Harish Bhambhani.
• The court considered a sketch referred to by one of the witnesses, Poonam Bhambhani, as unreliable since the prosecution was unable to produce it.
• Chintan's conduct, including calling Bhambhani's daughter and Hema's help a day after the murder, was examined by the court in light of the strained relationship between Chintan and Hema.

Statistics:

• 74 sketches and 4 diaries were seized from Chintan's house in Delhi.
• 10 sketches made by Chintan were reproduced in the 214-page judgment.
• The court passed its judgment on Tuesday, sentencing Chintan to life imprisonment.
• Chintan was convicted based on a retracted confession by co-accused Pradeep Rajbhar.
• Three others were also sentenced to life imprisonment for committing the murders of Hema and her lawyer.

Sources:

• "IE Online Media Services Pvt. Ltd." (2023)