Man gets lifer for murdering wife

Kumar and Sushama were married in 1991. Trouble started about one and half year later, when Sushma gave birth to a girl child. Kumar was upset with a girl’s birth in the family.

Unemployed and managing the family on Sushama’s earning as a maid servant, Kumar started beating up his wife accusing her of having an affair with one Pradeep Danghar. He had also physically assaulted Pradeep on April 26, 1994.

The Shinde couple’s relations deteriorated after Sushama complained to her parents about harrasment by her husband. After attending Sushama’s younger sister’s marriage on May 13, 1994, the couple returned to their Hanuman Nagar hutment in Kandivali (E) at around 9.30 pm and again picked up a fight over Sushma’s alleged illicit relations with Danghar.

As the arguments between the two grew louder, Kumar picked up the kitchen knife and stabbed Sushma on her chest, stomach and other vital parts of her body. He fled from the scene of crime leaving behind a seriously injured Sushama. Alerted by her screams, the neighbours rushed Sushama to Bhagwati hospital, where she succumbed to injuries.

However, before breathing her last, Sushama could tell her mother Kamal and elder sister Meena that Kumar had stabbed her. Her statement was treated as Sushma’s dying declaration by the court.

The Samtanagar police had filed a case of murder.

The investigation officer Inspector S M Khan had arrested Kumar a couple of days later. Later, Kumar produced the knife which the experts declared was used to stab Sushma. Special public prosecutor Sudarshan Raju represented the state while Kumar was defended by state appointed advocate R S Vishwakarma.