The trial court in the Soumya Vishwanathan murder case took over 15 years to reach a verdict due to various factors including delays in serving summons to witnesses, obtaining forensic reports and documents, non-appearance of prosecution witnesses, and the unavailability of the special public prosecutor. The COVID-19 pandemic further contributed to the delay. The accused, Baljeet Singh Malik, filed a petition seeking compensation for the unreasonable delay in the trial, prompting the High Court to direct the trial court to conclude the trial expeditiously.