SC upholds life term to man who burnt sis-in-law

The Supreme Court has dismissed a Bengaluru resident's plea challenging the life term upheld by Karnataka High Court for burning his sister-in-law to death.

Anbu had set fire to the wife of his younger brother as she spurned his advances and rejected his bid to have an affair.

A bench of Justices S A Bobde and L Nageswara Rao found no reason to meddle with the high court's decision of March 26, 2014, that upheld the life sentence to Anbu.

The petitioner said the high court had erred in relying on the victim Naveena's dying declaration as she had suffered 90% burn injuries and was not in a position to give statements. He contended that his younger brother and Naveena's husband Shivalangaiah and a worker in the tailoring shop were interested witnesses in the case.

The apex court reviewed all the materials in the case and rejected Anbu's plea, thereby confirming his sentence.

On January 7, 2011, a Bengaluru fast-track court had found Anbu guilty of murder. According to the prosecution, Anbu, who helped his brother in his tailoring shop, went to the latter's house on August 4, 2009, and tried persuading his sister-in-law to have an affair with him.

A shocked Naveena rushed out of the house and called her husband from a phone booth. Anbu pursued her to the phone booth and doused her in petrol. But Naveena hurried back home and bolted the door from inside.

When Anbu reached the house and knocked, Naveena thought it was her husband who had come for her and opened the door. But her brother-in-law set fire to her with his cigarette lighter. She died during treatment at the Jayanagar General Hospital on August 9, 2009.