Suhaib Ilyasi, host of India’s Most Wanted, sentenced to life for murder

New Delhi

Former television producer Suhaib Ilyasi, host of the once popular 90s television serial ‘India’s Most Wanted’, was sentenced to life imprisonment on Wednesday for murdering his wife Anju Ilyasi 17 years ago.

While awarding the punishment, the court said that Suhaib had given the murder a ‘colour of suicide.’

As the judge pronounced the order, Suhaib shouted in the courtroom proclaiming his innocence and the life sentence handed out to him an “injustice”. He was brought from Tihar Jail where he was sent after his conviction on December 16.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 2 lakh on Ilyasi and ordered that Rs 10 lakh compensation be paid to Anju’s parents.

During arguments on quantum of punishment, the prosecution had sought death penalty for Ilyasi, stating that he was supposed to act as a protector of his wife but he killed her. The defence counsel sought leniency saying that Ilyasi had never violated his bail conditions or indulged in any other illegal activity.

Anju’s mother Rukma Singh, who was also present in the courtroom, welcomed the judgement. “The verdict has finally come after 17 long years. I am satisfied with the court order,” she said.

On January 10, 2000, Anju Ilyasi was rushed to AIIMS from Mayur Vihar-1 with multiple stab wounds. She was declared dead a day later. Ilyasi later claimed that Anju had committed suicide after an argument.

On March 16, 2000, Anju’s sister Rashmi filed a complaint on her sister’s behalf alleging murder for dowry.

Police had then registered a case of dowry and dowry death after which Suhaib was arrested on March 28.

Anju’s mother Rukma Singh had then moved an application in the trial court seeking inclusion of murder charges but it was dismissed in 2011. She then moved the high court, which ordered framing of murder charges against Ilyasi in August 2014. He had approached the Supreme Court challenging the HC ruling but the Apex court dismissed his plea.

Last week, additional sessions judge(ASJ) Sanjeev Kumar Malhotra convicted Suhaib for murder but was acquitted of dowry death charges of which the court found no evidence. While convicting him of murder, the court noted that when Anju was ‘seriously injured’ and in a ‘critical condition’ on the day of the incident, Ilyasi had misled the doctor by providing false information suggesting suicide. The court also noted that Ilyasi couldn’t give any plausible explanation as to why there were no cut marks on Anju’s clothes.

Regarding presence of blood in the bathroom and on the bed of their house, Ilyasi had told police that it was Anju’s menstrual blood. However, her autopsy report made it clear that during the post-mortem she was not menstruating on the day of the incident.

The court said that Ilyasi, who was at the pinnacle of his career during his ‘India’s Most Wanted’ show, killed his wife fearing she may make public his fraudulent acts and forgeries. The court made the observation in its 125- page judgment, noting that Ilyasi possessed two passports, used fake degree for job and had committed credit card fraud.