Allahabad HC sends man to jail for life for killing wife 43 years ago

Prayagraj (UP), Oct 1 (PTI) The Allahabad High Court has sentenced a man to life imprisonment for the murder of his wife in 1982.

Forty-three years after the incident that was reported from Jalaun district of Uttar Pradesh, the court has reversed the trial court's order of acquittal and sentenced main accused Awadhesh Kumar, along with co-accused Mata Prasad, to life imprisonment for the murder of Kusuma Devi. It has also directed the convicts to surrender before the authorities concerned within two weeks.

The judgment was delivered by a bench of Justices Rajiv Gupta and Harvir Singh while overturning the trial court's 1984 decision to acquit the accused.

Two other accused in the case died during the pendency of the appeal filed by the Uttar Pradesh government against their acquittal.

According to the prosecution, the victim was killed by her husband and three others in connection with the husband's alleged illicit relationship with his younger brother's wife. The incident happened on August 6, 1982. Two witnesses later deposed that the victim was held down by the accused and throttled under the pretext of "driving away an evil spirit". Her body was hurriedly burnt the same night.

In the verdict passed on September 25, the high court called it a classic case of blind faith.

"The instant case is a classic case of blind faith and unfortunate realities of our times still prevalent in remote areas ... based on superstition and belief, just to bring good fortune and appease the gods, which in our opinion shocks the conscience of the civilised society and is to be condemned by one and all to curb such social evils," the bench said.

The court found that the prosecution witnesses had corroborated the police case in all material particulars, barring minor contradictions here and there.

It also noted that immediately after the victim's death, the convicts burnt her body, without even informing police and her relatives. This disposal of the body in a hurried and hasty manner, with an intention to screen themselves from legal punishment, speaks volumes about their unusual conduct and points towards their guilt, the court said.

It said the trial court's order acquitting the accused suffered from patent perversity as it failed to consider material evidence on record.

Consequently, the court allowed the government's appeal and set aside the trial court order. PTI COR RAJ RC