Suhaib Ilyasi was jailed in December last year after he was convicted by a trial court
Former TV anchor and producer Suhaib Ilyasi who was sentenced to life in jail for the murder of his wife 18 years ago, was acquitted by the Delhi High Court today.
Ilyasi, who became a household name as the host of popular crime show "India's Most Wanted", had appealed against his conviction and imprisonment.
The 52-year-old's daughter Aaliya, who was in court when the verdict came, said she always had trust in her father. "I am very very happy. I am not able to express myself much right now. For all this while, we were silent about it because the judgement was yet to come. We have suffered a lot but I trust my father completely and I had always trusted him," she said.
Suhaib Ilyasi was jailed in December last year after a trial court convicted him on charges of stabbing his wife Anju to death. The court said he had "committed murder and given it a colour of suicide". It also asked him to pay Rs 10 lakh to his wife's parents.
His own life matching an episode of his show, Ilyasi - while being led out of court - shouted that he was innocent and the life sentence was an "injustice".
Anju Ilyasi was found with multiple stab wounds at her home in east Delhi on on January 11, 2000. She died in hospital later. Suhaib Ilyasi was arrested on March 28 that year. He was charged after his wife's mother and sister alleged that he used to torture her for dowry.
The trial court judge had said evidence suggested Ilyasi, at the prime of his career, was worried that his wife would ruin his career by exposing his alleged acts of fraud. Anju, the court noted, had decided to leave Ilyasi and move to Canada.
Earlier this year, Ilyasi was granted interim bail for four weeks to take care of his second wife, who was unwell.