The Delhi High Court on October 5, 2018, acquitted former TV anchor and producer Suhaib Ilyasi in his wife's murder case.
The matter came up before a Bench of Justices S Muralidhar and Vinod Goel who allowed the appeal of Ilyasi challenging his conviction and life imprisonment for killing his wife, Anju, 18 years ago.
Earlier, on December 20, 2017, the trial court had sentenced Ilyasi who had shot into limelight after hosting TV crime show - 'India's Most Wanted', to life term for stabbing his wife to death, saying he "committed murder and gave it a colour of suicide".
On May 14, 2018, the Delhi High Court refused to extend the interim bail that was granted to Ilyasi on April 26, 2018. Thereafter, when he approached the Supreme Court, the apex court also refused to grant him interim bail.
Ilyasi, in his appeal, moved through advocate Rajiv Mohan, has claimed that the police had not collected any material for three months after the incident and there was no evidence to charge him for the offence of murder.
The police had claimed that he had misled the investigating agency, proving his involvement in the crime.
It had also imposed a fine of Rs. 2 lakh on him and directed that Rs. 10 lakh be paid as compensation to Anju's parents.
Earlier, Ilyasi was charged with milder provisions, including the offence of dowry death given under Section 304 B of the Indian Penal Code, 1860.
However, Anju's mother Rukma Singh and sister Rashmi Singh had moved the Delhi High Court which in August 2014 ruled that the Ilyasi would be tried under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 for the offence of murder.
On January 11, 2000, Anju was rushed to a hospital with stab wounds she received at her East Delhi residence. She was declared dead on arrival at the hospital.
Ilyasi was arrested on March 28, 2000. Charges were framed against him in the case after his sister-in-law and mother-in-law alleged that he used to torture Anju for dowry.
