Ex-navy officer moves Bombay HC challenging conviction in murder case

Former naval officer Manish Thakur, who was sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering his girlfriend has approached the Bombay High Court challenging his conviction.

A sessions court had on March 4 this year convicted Thakur (28), who was employed with the aeronautical wing of the Indian Navy, for murdering his girlfriend and employee of Tata Consultancy Services, Kaushambi Layek in May 2007.

Thakur has filed an appeal in the High Court challenging his conviction and that he has been falsely implicated in the case. His appeal is likely to come up for hearing on June 17. Thakur in his appeal has claimed that the prosecution has not proved beyond reasonable doubt that he was present in the hotel room along with the victim at the time of the incident. 

According to Thakur at the time of incident he was in Goa and had resumed training. 24-year-old Layek was found murdered in 'Sun-N-Sheel' Hotel in suburban Andheri by the hotel staff on May 14, 2007. According to the prosecution, a day before that Thakur and Layek had checked into the hotel. Thakur had shot Layek dead when she sought to end their relationship.

As per the prosecution case, the duo first met on a train to Thiruvananthapuram in Kerela where they were both attending separate training programmes in 2005. But their relationship grew on social networking site Orkut.

However, later when Layek came to know that Thakur was already married she sought to end the relation. Thakur pleaded with Layek to marry him and that he would divorce his wife. Thakur convinced Layek to meet him for one last time and the duo checked into the hotel on May 13, 2007.

Thakur after shooting Layek dead went to Vasco in Goa and resumed training in INS Hansa. He was arrested a few days later.