The Murder of Naina Sahni

Naina Sahni and Sushil Sharma

Naina Sahni and Sushil Sharma were both active in Delhi Youth Congress politics. The Supreme Court's 2013 judgment records that they were married and living in a flat in the Mandir Marg area of New Delhi, although Sharma had not publicly acknowledged the marriage.

The prosecution case was that their relationship had become strained and that Sharma suspected Naina of having a relationship with another political colleague. Those allegations formed part of the prosecution narrative; they do not diminish Naina's status as the victim of the crime.

The killing and discovery

On the night of July 2, 1995, Naina was shot inside the flat. The Supreme Court later concluded that the chain of evidence proved beyond reasonable doubt that Sharma killed her.

Sharma then took Naina's body to Bagiya restaurant, where an attempt was made to burn it in a tandoor. Police attention was drawn to the unusual fire, leading to the discovery of the crime and a major investigation.

One detail requires care. Early media accounts often said Naina's body had been chopped into pieces before being placed in the tandoor. The later Supreme Court record and subsequent reporting on the investigation make clear that this was not proved. Crime by Region therefore treats the dismemberment claim as an enduring media narrative, not an established fact.

Investigation and prosecution

Police reconstructed the events through witnesses, forensic evidence and Sharma's movements after the killing. Sharma fled after the crime but was arrested and prosecuted for murder and related offenses. Keshav Kumar, associated with the restaurant, was separately convicted for helping conceal evidence.

The case became a major test of circumstantial and forensic evidence. It also became closely associated with the role of police officers who first responded to the restaurant fire and preserved evidence that allowed investigators to identify the victim and connect the crime to Sharma.

Death sentence and Supreme Court review

In 2003, the trial court convicted Sharma and sentenced him to death. The Delhi High Court confirmed the conviction and death sentence in 2007.

On October 8, 2013, the Supreme Court of India upheld Sharma's murder conviction. The Court found that the prosecution had established a complete chain of circumstances pointing to him as the killer.

The Supreme Court nevertheless commuted the death sentence to life imprisonment. It considered factors including the absence of prior criminal history and the possibility of reform, while leaving the finding of guilt intact.

The 2018 release order

After more than two decades in custody, Sharma sought premature release under Delhi's sentence-review framework. The Sentence Review Board rejected his request.

On December 21, 2018, the Delhi High Court set aside that rejection, finding that the board's decision had been arbitrary and inconsistent with the applicable policy. The court directed the State to release Sharma forthwith.

The release order did not overturn the conviction. The legal status of the case therefore remains straightforward: Sharma was convicted of Naina Sahni's murder, the conviction survived Supreme Court review, his punishment was reduced from death to life imprisonment, and he was later released after serving more than two decades.

Timeline

Current status

The case is solved and the murder conviction is final. Sushil Sharma was released from prison in December 2018 after the Delhi High Court held that the rejection of his premature-release request was legally unsustainable. No reliable later source located for this August 2026 review indicates that the conviction was overturned.