Rajasthan court hands death penalty to man for burning wife to death

Udaipur: A court in Udaipur sentenced a man to death for brutally murdering his wife, whom he often taunted for her skin complexion, by making her apply an inflammable chemical on herself on the pretext that it would make her fair and then setting her afire, with the judge calling it a heinous crime against humanity.

"Such a crime cannot even be imagined in a healthy and civilised society," the Additional District and Sessions Court in Mavli (Udaipur) said delivering the verdict in the eight-year-old case.

The incident occurred in Navaniya village on June 24, 2017, when Kishanlal, having a deep-seated bias against his wife's appearance, deceived Laxmi into applying a chemical he claimed would make her skin fair, according to the prosecution.

The court said that despite the strange odour of the liquid, which Laxmi suspected to be acidic, she trusted her husband and applied it all over her body. Kishanlal then lit an incense stick, placed it near her stomach, and set her afire.

Laxmi, severely burned, screamed for help and managed to flee, but her husband had already closed the room from inside as part of a conspiracy and she was unable to escape. Her in-laws rushed her to the hospital, but Laxmi succumbed to her injuries a few days later.

In the order, the court condemned Kishanlal's actions as "extremely rare and shocking."

It stated that his cruel behaviour went beyond a mere domestic crime, shaking the conscience of society.

"The extremely heart-wrenching and brutal act was not only a crime against his wife, the deceased Laxmi, but it causes such a shock to the consciousness of entire humanity that it cannot even be imagined in a healthy and civilised society," the order said.

Public prosecutor Dinesh Paliwal said that he presented 14 witnesses and 36 documents to demonstrate that Kishanlal had been repeatedly taunting Laxmi for her skin colour and physical appearance, which ultimately led to the gruesome act.

The court said that Kishanlal's conduct, as depicted in his behaviour toward his wife, was reflective of deep-rooted societal prejudices related to skin colour and gender-based violence.

The judgment further pointed out that Laxmi's dying declaration served as crucial evidence, confirming that she had been taunted by her husband for her physical appearance, which he claimed made her unworthy of him.

The court highlighted the fact that Kishanlal's cruelty was not only aimed at his wife but was also a direct attack on humanity itself.

The dying declaration provided by Laxmi corroborated her accounts of the abuse. In her statement, Laxmi revealed how Kishanlal locked her in a room, mocking her physical appearance, and ultimately carried out his plan to burn her alive.

The court referred to Kishanlal's actions as "reflecting a heinous mindset," where he subjected Laxmi to humiliation and physical abuse.

The court stated that Kishanlal's behaviour was not just a failure as a husband but also a violation of the trust that is fundamental in any marriage.