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2018 murder: Pharmacist sentenced to life till last breath for killing wife in Palwal
According to the post-mortem report, Deepak, who was working as a government employee at PHC Bhiduki in Palwal, killed his wife Pooja by striking repeated blows with a gas cylinder on her head and leg
: A local court in Palwal sentenced a 31-year-old pharmacist to rigorous life imprisonment until his last breath for killing his 28-year-old wife by brutally hitting her with a gas cylinder in 2018.
According to the post-mortem report, Deepak, who was working as a government employee at PHC Bhiduki in Palwal, killed his wife Pooja by striking repeated blows with a gas cylinder on her head and leg. She succumbed to injuries due to shock and haemorrhage.
Pronouncing the judgment on October 19, Palwal additional sessions judge Prashant Rana convicted Deepak, a resident of Hodal in Palwal , for rigorous imprisonment of life, till he is alive and till his last breath as per provisions under Section 45 of the IPC. The court also imposed a fine of ₹ 10,000 on him.
“The deceased Pooja was only 28 years of age at the time of her death, and she had an 11 months old child. She had an entire life ahead of her. She was yet to see the best of the times of her life. She was deprived of her life, the most precious possession, by the convict, who was her husband and was duty bound to protect her, instead of killing her. The murder was committed in a brutal manner by causing blows with a gas cylinder on the skull of deceased, and she immediately expired,” the court judgment reads.
The then Investigating officer ASI Akhtar Hussain said the complainant, Pooja’s father, had lodged a complaint of dowry death against Deepak (husband), Jagdish (father-in-law), Gangawati), Shashi (sister-in-law) and Tilakram (uncle).
According to the court order, a copy of which is with the Hindustan Times, at the time of her death, Pooja was residing with her husband at their matrimonial home.
She was found dead in the same house on August 19, 2018. She was lying on the floor in her bedroom with her skull having multiple fractures and injury on the right leg. Blood-stained gas cylinder was kept near the dead body. Deepak, his mother Gangawati and his deceased father said that Pooja had fallen on the gas cylinder and collided with the cylinder and her skull was fractured and she died on the spot, it said.
“The prosecution could only prove that there was matrimonial discord between the couple, which was pacified on June 6, 2018, and then Pooja started living with Deepak in Hodal. They had an 11-month-old son when she was murdered. The court observed that there was no evidence that Deepak’s parents were at the house when the incident took place while the two other accused were acquitted earlier,” the court order said.
It further stated that the cause of death was falsely explained by the accused and there was no explanation as to why the gas cylinder was kept in bedroom instead of kitchen.
“The accused went away to call a doctor instead of making a call for doctor or ambulance as he was a health worker. He did not come back with the doctor nor did he contact any doctor. After the incident, he absconded from his house to UP and went to Ballabgarh, where his parents were staying. Following the incident, he was arrested from Ballabgarh,” the court order added.
