Meerut Court Awards Death Sentence in Snake Bite Plot; Delhi Traders Voice Protest Concerns

A Meerut court has delivered a death penalty verdict to Ravita Kashyap and her lover Amardeep for the April 2025 murder of her husband, Amit Kashyap. Initially, the family suspected a snakebite after Amit Kashyap was found dead on his bed alongside a live snake. However, suspicions arose due to neck marks, prompting a postmortem examination which subsequently revealed that Kashyap died of strangulation, and the snake near him was non-venomous. The court classified the crime among the rarest of rare cases, citing betrayal within the marital relationship as a key factor in its capital punishment decision.

In Delhi, traders have expressed significant concern over ongoing political protests in key commercial areas, including Connaught Place and Khan Market. Business owners warned of severe economic losses during the festive season, attributing a drastic decline in footfall to security restrictions and police action. Retail and wholesale operations have been severely disrupted, while fixed expenses such as high rent and staff salaries continue to accrue. Traders' associations have appealed to the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister to prohibit demonstrations in market zones and ensure adequate security, though political groups defend protests as a fundamental democratic right, arguing that official restrictions cause the disruptions.

Delhi Police on Friday took Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party, into preventive custody ahead of a planned Tiranga Yatra, with protesters attempting to block the police vehicle. Police issued two notices to Dipke, barring him from heading towards Central Park in Connaught Place under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. Authorities referenced previous court undertakings binding individuals against creating unrest, noting that associates Saurabh Das and Ashutosh Ranka remain in five-day judicial custody at Tihar Jail over compliance violations. Heavy security deployment and barricading cordoned off the Connaught Place Inner Circle, with police buses stationed for detentions, though metro stations and surrounding roads remained operational. Demonstrators arrived independently despite the absence of core leadership, with local traders expressing concern over potential disruptions, even as attendees asserted their gathering remained peaceful.

What to watch: Continued protests in Delhi's commercial areas and their economic impact.

Editor's note: The draft effectively consolidates the source material, accurately reflecting the court case and the protest situation in Delhi.