Darvesh Yadav Murder: A Tale of Friendship Gone Mysteriously Sour

When Darvesh started practising, it was the same man who shot her, Manish Sharma, who gave her the platform.

(Photo Courtesy: Facebook/Darvesh Yadav)

Manish Sharma (in the red circle) is accused of murdering Darvesh Yadav (in the middle).

Date: 12 June
Time: 2:45 pm
Location: Agra civil court

After attending the ceremonies organised to celebrate her election as the president of the UP Bar Council, Darvesh Yadav was sitting in the chambers of advocate Arvind Mishra with a few friends. They were discussing the ups and downs of the electoral win when one of Yadav’s oldest friends Manish Sharma took out his gun and killed her after which he shot himself.

There has been a lot of talk around her murder. Why was she killed? And more importantly, why would Sharma who mentored Darvesh himself kill her?

Manish Sharma’s Entry Created a Hostile Environment in the Chamber

When Darvesh entered Mishra’s cabin after partaking in victory celebrations in her honour, she was accompanied by her nephew and maternal uncle Manoj Yadav. A dozen other advocates were present.

The atmosphere was pleasant. Everyone was in a happy mood when her old acquaintance advocate Sharma also reached the chambers. Within a few seconds, he began to converse with Darvesh’s maternal uncle Manoj Yadav when the room began to heat up.

Before one could fully comprehend what was going on, Sharma took out his licensed pistol and first shot at Manoj Yadav. He got saved as the bullet hit the wall instead.

Then Sharma shot at Darvesh, who was sitting right next to Manoj, four times. She fell on the spot and died.

Finally, he shot himself. He is currently in a critical condition and is being treated at Gurugram’s Medanta Hospital.

Darvesh Got Success at a Young Age

Hailing from Chandpur village in Uttar Pradesh’s Etah district, Darvesh’s family was not well off. Her father passed away when she was still young. That put the responsibility of raising Darvesh and her two elder sisters on her mother alone.

After studying law from Agra, Darvesh began practising in 2004. In 2012 she was elected as member of the Bar Council.

As her political footprint began to grow, so did her ambitions. In the then upcoming elections of the Bar Council, held in June, she put forth her claim to become president. She won the election as well. She got 12 of the 24 votes.

While others would take years to accomplish what Darvesh had, she was swiftly accomplishing her ambitions. Radhe Mohan Tripathi, former president of the Varanasi Centra Bar, said, “Darvesh was very hard working right from the beginning. She had become very popular for her age. Being elected the president of the UP Bar Council reflected this success,” he said.

Darvesh’s Killer Was the One Who Helped Her Win Big

After completing her law degree, when Darvesh started practising, the same man who shot her, Sharma, gave her the platform.

A resident of  Gwalior, Sharma, in contrast, is financially stable, and wields considerable influence in court. It was also through his help that Darvesh was able to make a quick name and dream of becoming the president of the Bar Council. 

Due to his political backing and affiliations under the SP government, Sharma was also elected the executive council member of the Lucknow Bar Council. However opposition members went to court and got him removed from his post.

For 10 Years, Darvesh and Sharma Worked in the Same Chamber

It is normal for more than one lawyer to work out of a chamber in Uttar Pradesh where they meet their clients and do their reading. Just like that Darvesh used to sit in Sharma’s chamber and work for 10 years. As time passed, both of them started working together on cases. One can go to the extent of saying that professional rivalry commonly seen between other lawyers did not exist in their relationship.

This friendship is the biggest confusion in the murder today. 

Various angles are being investigated including why Sharma would shoot himself after killing Darvesh. Was Sharma jealous of Darvesh’s growing success and popularity?

It is also being said that in the months leading up to the elections they began to talk less and their relationship had soured. The police is investigating the motive behind such an extreme act while the family is demanding a CBI probe.