HC admits Romesh Sharma's appeal

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court onMonday admitted the appeal of Romesh Sharma, alleged frontman of underworld donDawood Ibrahim, challenging his conviction in the Kunjum Buddhiraja murder case.A Bench headed by Justice H R Malhotra issued notice to the DelhiPolice on Sharma's plea for bail in the case, directing it to file its reply byJuly 23. Sharma had on April 24 moved the Delhi High Courtchallenging the life term awarded to him by a city court 0for killing hisfashion designer girlfriend Kunjum. On February 18, a Delhi courthad awarded life imprisonment to Sharma and five others for murdering Kunjum onMarch 20, 1999. The court had acquitted another accused, Jaspreet Virdi aliasSonu, for want of evidence. The Court had also imposed a fine of Rs50,000 on Sharma and Rs 5,000 each on his nephew Surinder Mishra and a womanconvict Tejinder Virdi alias Dolly. Other convicts -- Hemchand, Santram andRamesh -- were fined Rs 1,000 each. The court had on February 15held all of them guilty under Section 302 (murder) and 120B (criminalconspiracy) of the IPC. According to the prosecution, Sharma hadhatched the conspiracy to kill 29-year-old Kunjum while he was in judicialcustody in connection with several cases, including that of intimidation,property-grabbing and cheating. Kunjum was stabbed to death by agroup of hired gangsters from Uttar Pradesh at the instance of Surinder Mishra,a co-accused and nephew of Sharma at a South Delhi farmhouse. Mishrahad also met Sharma in the jail a day before the incident, the prosecutionclaimed.