Archive · 19 Aug 2026
Uttarakhand High Court Rejects Bail for Three Ankita Bhandari Convicts
The Uttarakhand High Court decided that three men convicted in Ankita Bhandari’s murder case should not be released on bail.
The men are Pulkit Arya, Saurabh Bhaskar, and Ankit Gupta.
A lower court had sentenced each of them to life in prison.
They had asked to leave jail while their appeals were being considered.
The court rejected those requests.
Ankita Bhandari was 19 years old and worked at a resort near Rishikesh.
She disappeared on September 18, 2022.
Her body was found in the Chilla Canal six days later.
The Uttarakhand High Court rejected bail pleas from Pulkit Arya, Saurabh Bhaskar, and Ankit Gupta.
The three were sentenced to life imprisonment by a Kotdwar court on May 30 last year.
They were convicted of murdering Ankita Bhandari and destroying evidence.
Bhandari, a 19-year-old receptionist at Vanantara Resort, went missing on September 18, 2022.
Her body was recovered from the Chilla Canal on September 24, and the three have remained jailed since their arrests.
- Who
- The Uttarakhand High Court, Pulkit Arya, Saurabh Bhaskar, Ankit Gupta, and Ankita Bhandari.
- What
- The High Court rejected bail pleas filed by three men convicted of murder and destruction of evidence.
- When
- The bail decision was reported on August 19; Bhandari disappeared on September 18, 2022, and the lower-court sentences were issued on May 30 last year.
- Where
- The case concerns Vanantara Resort near Rishikesh, the Chilla Canal, and proceedings in Uttarakhand, including Nainital and Kotdwar.
- Why
- The prosecution argued that evidence supporting the convictions had been substantiated at trial and was sufficient to uphold them.
Prosecution
Convicts’ Bail Requests
Whether release should be allowed
Prosecution
The prosecution argued that evidence presented during the trial was properly substantiated and sufficient to support the convictions.
Convicts’ Bail Requests
The three convicts challenged the lower-court verdicts and sought release on bail while their appeals remained pending.
- High Court decision
- Bail pleas by all three convicts were rejected.
- Convicts
- Pulkit Arya, Saurabh Bhaskar, and Ankit Gupta.
- Sentence
- Life imprisonment for murder and destruction of evidence.
- Lower-court ruling
- The Kotdwar court sentenced the three on May 30 last year.
- Victim
- Ankita Bhandari, a 19-year-old resort receptionist.
- Disappearance
- Bhandari went missing on September 18, 2022.
- Body recovered
- Her body was recovered from the Chilla Canal on September 24.