Sanjeev walked out of jail on December 13, while Sonia was freed four days later after completion of bail formalities. (News18 Hindi)

Nearly 24 years after one of Haryana’s most chilling family murder cases, Sonia and her husband Sanjeev Kumar, convicted of killing ex-MLA Relu Ram Poonia and seven members of his family, were recently granted interim bail by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, triggering strong reactions from relatives and legal circles.

The former Barwala MLA was murdered along with seven members of his family in August 2001 in what police later described as one of Haryana’s most sensational property-related crimes. The killings were carried out by his daughter Sonia Poonia and her husband Sanjeev Kumar, after a simmering dispute over the division of Poonia’s vast assets.

On the night of August 23, 2001, then-19-year-old Sonia Poonia and her husband Sanjeev brutally bludgeoned eight members of her own family including her father, mother and siblings, at their farmhouse in Litani village of Haryana’s Hisar district, while they slept. Sonia later attempted suicide but survived.

The victims included former MLA Relu Ram Poonia (50), his wife Krishna Devi (41), daughter Priyanka (14), son Sunil Kumar (23), daughter-in-law Shakuntala Devi (20), grandson Lokesh (4) and two granddaughters Shivani (2) and Preeti (3 months).

The massacre, widely believed to have been driven by a bitter property dispute, shocked the state. Investigators said Sonia, who had married Sanjeev, a judo player, against her father’s wishes, had been seeking a share in his property. Poonia is said to have refused, reportedly upset over the marriage.

Poonia had risen from humble beginnings, working as a buffalo herder before moving to Delhi, where he made his fortune in the kerosene trade. Over the years, he amassed extensive real estate, including a sprawling two-acre mansion near Hisar, a 100-acre farmhouse, a bungalow in Faridabad and several shops in Delhi and Nangloi, besides luxury cars, jewellery and cash.

A trial court awarded the couple the death penalty. While the Punjab and Haryana high court commuted the sentence to life imprisonment, the Supreme Court subsequently restored the death sentence, which was again converted to life due to prolonged delays in execution.

The couple recently secured interim bail from the high court following a plea for early release. Sanjeev walked out of jail on December 13, while Sonia was freed four days later after completion of bail formalities.