Ankita Bhandari Murder Case: Sessions Court In Uttarakhand Sentences Three Accused To Life Imprisonment

A sessions court in Kotdwar, Uttarakhand, today (30 May 2025) found Pulkit Arya, the owner of the Vanantra resort, and his two associates Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta guilty in the Ankita Bhandari murder case, nearly three years after the crime shocked the state.

According to a report by Times of India, the Additional Sessions Judge pronounced the three guilty under sections 302 (murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence), and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code. All three have been sentenced to life imprisonment.

Bhandari, a 19-year-old receptionist at the resort in Pauri district, was allegedly murdered on 18 September 2022 after she refused to provide “special services” to guests. Her body was recovered from the Chilla canal six days later, following public outcry and intense pressure on the state government.

The trial concluded on 6 May. All three accused had pleaded not guilty.

Pulkit Arya is the son of now-expelled BJP leader and former minister Vinod Arya. The case had triggered widespread protests, forcing the Uttarakhand government to order the demolition of the resort and expedite investigation and prosecution.