Bengaluru, October 15, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Karnataka Cabinet has decided to recommend rejection of the mercy petitions filed by Shubha Shankarnarayan and D. Arun Varma, who were convicted in the 2003 Ring Road Shubha murder case in Bengaluru. State Minister Priyank Kharge announced the decision on Thursday.
The recommendation will be forwarded to the Governor for consideration. The petitions relate to S.C. No. 314/2004, which was heard by the 17th Fast Track Court in Bengaluru.
Kharge, who handles the Home, Information Technology and Biotechnology, and E-Governance portfolios, said the Cabinet had decided to advise the Governor against granting relief to the two convicts.
The mercy petitions were filed under Article 161 of the Constitution, which empowers the Governor to grant pardons, reprieves, respites or remissions of punishment, and to suspend, remit or commute sentences in specified circumstances.
In an order dated July 14, 2025, the Supreme Court had granted the petitioners eight weeks to approach the Governor with their mercy petitions. It also directed that they should not be arrested and that their sentences would remain suspended until the petitions were considered and a decision was taken.
The Governor’s office subsequently referred the petitions to the state government for its opinion. The Cabinet’s decision represents the state government’s recommendation; the final decision on the petitions rests with the Governor.
The case dates back to December 3, 2003, when B.V. Girish, a 27-year-old software engineer employed with Intel, was murdered just four days after his engagement to Shubha.
According to the prosecution, Shubha took Girish to Bengaluru’s Outer Ring Road area on the pretext of watching an aircraft land. Her alleged associates attacked him with a metal rod, causing severe injuries. He later died in hospital.
Investigators alleged that Shubha, who opposed the engagement arranged by her family, conspired with Arun Varma, with whom she was reportedly in a relationship, and two other men, Venkatesh and Dinesh, to kill Girish.
All four were convicted of murder and criminal conspiracy under Sections 302 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code and sentenced to life imprisonment. The Karnataka High Court upheld their convictions and sentences, and the Supreme Court subsequently affirmed them.
The case drew considerable public attention and later inspired the Kannada film Ring Road Shubha, released in 2014 and produced by an all-women crew.
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