UP man sentenced to life for murdering wife—on 4-year-old son’s testimony
The key witness and complainant in the case, Ram Avtar, the brother of the victim, was declared hostile during the trial.
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Akhilesh, who was out on bail, was taken into custody and later sent to jail. A local court in Uttar Pradesh’s Aligarh on Monday sentenced a daily wage labourer to life imprisonment for the murder of his 32-year-old wife—on the testimony of his four-year-old son.
Akhilesh and Savitri had been married for 12 years when she was found hanging inside her house in the Gabhana area in February 2022. However, the post-mortem report confirmed that she had died due to strangulation. Akhilesh’s family claimed he was not at home at the time, but his son, who was four at the time, told the court that he was present in the house at the time, placing him at the scene around the time of her death.
“Out of the 13 witnesses, five key prosecution witnesses, including the complainant, were declared hostile as they did not support the prosecution’s version of events,” said J P Rajpoot, Additional District Government Counsel, Aligarh.
He added that the key witness and complainant in the case, Ram Avtar, the brother of the victim, was declared hostile during the trial, and the court, in its judgment, directed that a case be registered against him and a notice issued, asking him to explain why legal action should not be taken for deliberately giving false testimony before the court.
“The victim’s four-year-old son testified in court and confirmed that his father Akhilesh, along with his two siblings, was present in the house, placing him at the scene around the time of the victim’s death. This testimony played a crucial role in securing the conviction,” said Rajpoot.
The court found Akhilesh guilty of murder and sentenced him to life imprisonment. Akhilesh, who was out on bail, was taken into custody and later sent to jail.
Two defence witnesses were also examined during the trial.
According to the prosecution, the case dates back to February 10, 2022, when Ram Avtar received information about Savitri’s death at her in-laws’ residence. He immediately informed the police and rushed to the spot. By the time the police arrived, the body was found on the floor. The in-laws claimed that she had died by suicide, alleging she had hanged herself. However, Ram Avtar alleged that his sister had been harassed by her husband and in-laws for dowry and suspected she had been murdered, prompting the police to seize the body and send it for post-mortem examination.
The autopsy report concluded that the death was caused by strangulation and also noted multiple injuries on the body.
The defence argued that Akhilesh was not at home at the time of the incident, claiming he was in Madhya Pradesh and returned only after learning about her death. They further stated that Savitri, described as stubborn, was upset because Akhilesh had not taken her to Madhya Pradesh.
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