Karnataka High Court on Thursday converted a death sentence imposed on a man who had killed his wife over a quarrel, into a sentence of life imprisonment.
The Division Bench comprising Justice K Shreedhar Rao and Justice R B Naik disposed of an appeal from the convict, Ramadas alias Dasa Bommaiah Nayak of Hillur, Ankola taluk, Karwar district, and a reference case on behalf of the prosecution for confirmation of death sentence. The Karwar District and Sessions Court had convicted Ramadas for murdering his 36-year-old wife Meera in front of their 6-year-old kid, and sentenced him to death by hanging, by an order on October 22, 2007.
Ramadas was said to be an alcoholic. Owing to a quarrel at their residence in Hillur over not doing work, he had allegedly assaulted Meera on her neck, with a knife, at about 4 pm on June 30, 2005. The victim was a mother of two children and the younger one had been an eye witness in the case. The Sessions Court had imposed capital punishment while observing that it was an act of beastility for a man to have killed his own wife in a brutal manner. The Bench upheld the conviction order of trial court but, modified the penal sentence into a sentence of imprisonment for life.
New SPP
Senior High Court advocate C H Jadhav took charge as State Public Prosecutor (SPP) on Thursday. Mr Jadhav, who has a long standing practice in criminal matters, is appointed SPP for a period of three years under a Union Law Ministry notification issued on Dec 11.
Practising since 1977, Mr Jadhav had earlier served as High Court Government Pleader from 1986 to 1992, and as Additional State Public Prosecutor from 1993 to 1995.
The SPP’s post had been vacant since the resignation of previous appointee, advocate H S Chandramouli, on Novermber 29.