HC Is Wrong, Killers Won’t Reform: Soumya’s Mother on Jigisha Case

Two young girls, Soumya Vishwanathan, 25, a TV journalist, and Jigisha Ghosh, 28, an IT professional were murdered in 2008 and 2009 respectively after they were returning from their offices.

The Delhi High Court said on 4 January 2018 that young IT executive Jigisha Ghosh's murder was not the rarest of the rare crime, and commuted the death sentence of two convicts to life imprisonment.

On 30 September 2008, Soumya was shot dead when she was returning from work at 3 am. Jigisha was abducted and killed on 18 March 2009 after she was dropped by her office cab around 4 am near her home in Vasant Vihar area of South Delhi. Her body was recovered three days later from a place near Surajkund in Haryana.

On 25 March, police nabbed four men for their involvement in Jigisha’s murder, out of which three were later convicted for murder. In police custody, they allegedly confessed that they killed Soumya Vishwanathan as well. Soumya’s case is being argued in the lower court and a verdict has not come out.

The Quint spoke with the parents of Soumya Vishwanathan and Jigisha Ghosh.

Jigisha’s mother Sabita Ghosh is saddened by the court verdict. She lost her daughter and then found no support from the legal system of the country, she said.

This is not an appropriate verdict by the High Court. I am disheartened. How can they not consider this as ‘the rarest of rare’ case. It seemed like the court sympathised with the murderers. 

Sabita Ghosh, Jigisha’s mother to The Quint

It has been a long battle for both the families. Soumya’s parents have been grieving over their dead daughter for the last 9 years.

Time does not heal but you learn to put up a facade. That makes all the difference.

Madhvi Vishwanathan, Soumya’s mother

Soumya’s father MK Vishwanathan has two thick spiral-bound files that he has compiled in the memory of their daughter. The files contain newspaper clippings in chronological order over the past nine years on everything that has been written about Soumya’s death.

There is no support for ordinary people. The rich have all the support. Anyway, we lost our daughter. She will not come back even if they are killed.

MK Vishwanathan, Soumya’s father

Jigisha’s and Soumya’s parents have become support system for each other. The Vishwanathans understand the frustration of Jigisha’s parents over the Delhi HC verdict. They said that they knew that the court would order life imprisonment as the maximum punishment for the killers, and added that Jigisha’s parents were hopeful. Soumya’s mother said that the Delhi High Court was wrong to commute the death sentence citing the possibility of reformation of the convicts.

Video Editors: Purnendu Pritam and Vivek Gupta