The Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court has upheld the life imprisonment of Arvind Verma and his lover for the 2011 murder of Verma’s wife, Shoba, during the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi yatra. The court confirmed that the prosecution had established a “complete chain of circumstances” proving the duo’s guilt.

A division bench of Justice Sanjeev Kumar and Justice Rajesh Sekhri dismissed the appeal filed by the convicts, who were sentenced by the Principal Sessions Judge, Reasi, in 2018 under Sections 302, 201, and 120-B of the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC).
The case dates back to March 2011, when staff at Prashar Guest House in Katra found Shoba Verma dead in Room 110 with her throat slit. She had checked in two days earlier with another woman who fled after locking the room. Guesthouse staff initially assumed the women had gone for the pilgrimage and did not return.
The court noted that Arvind Verma had an extramarital relationship with the co-accused and viewed his wife as an obstacle. The convicts booked the room under a false name, administered sedatives to Shoba, and killed her before escaping. Investigators traced both convicts to Uttar Pradesh, where key evidence and documents were recovered.
While the appellants challenged the case as relying on circumstantial evidence and questioned the admissibility of CCTV footage, the court found eyewitness testimony from guesthouse employees credible and consistent. The bench also highlighted inconsistencies in Arvind’s claims about filing a missing-person report, indicating concealment.
The court recognized the brutality of the murder but held that it did not meet the threshold for the death penalty under the “rarest of the rare” doctrine, and therefore upheld the life sentences.
The judgment reinforces the trial court’s findings, emphasizing the conspiracy and premeditation in the crime, while ensuring that the convicts continue serving their life terms.