The Sessions court in Mumbai has shed light on the murder of lawyer Harish Bhambhani, who represented artist Hema Upadhyay, dispelling any notion of a conspiracy to eliminate him. The court’s findings revealed that the three individuals convicted of murdering Hema Upadhyay had killed her lawyer simply because he had been accompanying Hema on that fateful day, rather than as part of a premeditated plot to eliminate him.
The verdict, delivered on Tuesday, resulted in artist Chintan Upadhyay receiving a life imprisonment sentence for his involvement in abetting and conspiring to murder his estranged wife, Hema, in 2015. Three others, namely Vijay Rajbhar, Pradeep Rajbhar, and Shivkumar Rajbhar, were also handed life sentences for their roles in the murders of both Hema and her lawyer, Bhambhani.
Harish Bhambhani, a lawyer with a practice in various civil courts, including family courts, had been representing Hema in her matrimonial dispute and divorce proceedings against Chintan.
The detailed order, made public on Wednesday, unveiled the statement from additional sessions judge Shrikant Y Bhosale, who emphasized, “Regarding the allegation of conspiracy in Bhambhani’s murder, there seems to be no satisfactory evidence. However, he tragically lost his life merely because he happened to be accompanying Hema and found himself ensnared by the accused.”
The sequence of events leading to this tragedy began on December 11, 2015, when Bhambhani decided to accompany Hema upon receiving a call from someone claiming to be Chintan’s cook. The caller had requested her presence to obtain information that could assist her in her case against Chintan, as determined by the court’s findings.
Anita, Bhambhani’s younger daughter, and his wife, Poonam, played pivotal roles as witnesses during the trial. The Bhambhani residence also served as an office space for meeting clients, including Hema, who regularly visited in connection with her case against Chintan.
Anita, speaking outside the court after the verdict, expressed her sentiments, saying, “I can never forget that day. Along with the grief we were engulfed with, we also had to ensure that justice was done for my father. Despite my father being a lawyer who never encouraged us to see courts, I knew I had to fight for him. Though I know he will not return, the judgment punishing those who caused his death brings some closure.”
In this case, the main accused, Vidyadhar Rajbhar, a fabricator who had worked with both Hema and Chintan, remained at large. While the police initially failed to categorize Vidyadhar as an absconding accused in the chargesheet, throughout the trial, he was consistently referred to as such. The court acknowledged this oversight and stated that he would be prosecuted once located.
To ensure the pending trial against Vidyadhar Rajbhar proceeds smoothly, the court issued an order to preserve all evidence, exhibits, articles, and records related to the case until its conclusion. This emphasizes the necessity of preserving these materials.