Thane court sentences septuagenarian to rigorous imprisonment for life for wife's murder

Thane: A court in Maharashtra's Thane district has sentenced a 71-year-old man to rigorous imprisonment for life for murdering his bedridden wife, citing that it was a "deliberate and calculated killing".

Additional sessions judge V L Bhosale convicted Shobhnath Rajeshwar Shukla of charges under the relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code for the murder of his wife, Sharada.

A copy of the order, dated June 12, was made available on Monday.

The court sentenced the septuagenarian to rigorous imprisonment for life and imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on him.

The court, while refusing to show leniency towards the accused, took note of the "calculated nature of murder" and "complete exploitation of the victim's vulnerability", saying "mercy cannot be extended at the cost of justice."

As per the case details, the victim died at her house in the Wagle Estate area of Thane city on November 8, 2019, and one of her sons was informed about her death. At the Civil Hospital, the victim's son observed suspicious marks on her neck, covered with a white ointment, prompting him to file a police complaint.

The post-mortem report concluded Sharada's death was due to asphyxia.

Additional public prosecutor R P Patil informed the court about the strained relationship between the elderly couple.

Sharada, a widow with three sons from her first marriage, married Shobhnath, also a widower. There was a dispute between the couple over a room constructed with money from the sale of Sharada's first husband's property. She wished to transfer her share of the room to her youngest son, but Shobhnath resisted, wanting it to be transferred to his son, Ashok.

The prosecution said Sharada had become bedridden after a fall in June 2019, making her entirely dependent on Shobhnath for care.

Witnesses, including Sharada's sons, Vishal and Amol Yadav, testified to Shobhnath's frequent complaints about the burden of her care and his threats about killing her.

Defence counsel Sandeep Yewale argued that it was a case of suicide, citing inconsistencies in witness testimonies and the medical officer's inability to definitively opine on whether death was caused by hanging or strangulation.

The court, however, observed that the victim's bedridden condition eliminated the possibility of suicide, as self-strangulation was anatomically impossible due to her physical limitation.

The judge, while convicting the accused, highlighted the threatening statements he had made, the property dispute, his frustration as a caregiver, and his suspicious behaviour post the incident, including his attempt to pass off the ligature mark as a "mangalsutra mark".