DEHRADUN: The Uttarakhand High Court has scheduled the final hearing for November 17 in the high-profile appeal filed by Pulkit Arya, the main accused in the sensational Vantara resort receptionist Ankita Bhandari murder case.
Arya is challenging the life imprisonment sentence handed to him by a lower court.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice G. Narendar and Justice Subhash Upadhyay heard the petitions filed by Pulkit Arya and his associate, Saurabh Bhaskar. Both were sentenced to life imprisonment by the Additional District and Sessions Court in Kotdwar.
The High Court directed that any party yet to receive the trial court documents be provided with them immediately to ensure the hearing proceeds smoothly on the next date. The state government informed the bench that all relevant case documents have now been submitted to the High Court.
Ankita Bhandari, a receptionist at the resort owned by Arya, was murdered in September 2022—a crime that shocked the nation. The lower court found the accused guilty on May 30 this year after examining 47 witnesses.
During the High Court proceedings, the defense argued that there was "no direct eyewitness testimony" in the case.
However, the prosecution emphasized strong circumstantial evidence. Ankita’s body was recovered from the Cheela Canal, and location data placed the accused and his two accomplices at the scene, a claim backed by forensic analysis.
The prosecution further highlighted that Ankita had mentioned the pressure she faced in WhatsApp chats. Investigators also found that the accused had allegedly switched off the resort’s CCTV cameras and tampered with the DVR.
The case stems from allegations that Pulkit Arya pressured Ankita Bhandari to participate in illegal activities at the resort.
The murder had significant political fallout. Pulkit Arya’s father, Vinod Arya, who held Minister of State rank in the Trivendra Singh Rawat government, and his brother, Ankit Arya, who held a similar post under the Tirath Singh Rawat government, were both expelled from their party positions after the case came to light.
The brutal killing sparked widespread protests across Uttarakhand, with people demanding justice for Ankita.
