Three get life for murder of advocate Meenakshi Jaiswal

The three individuals sentenced are Jaiswal’s driver Vinayak Thavra Chavan, and his accomplices Maninder Singh Bajwa alias Mithu and Suraj Rambhavan Jaiswal. A fourth accused, Surendrakumar Chamanlal Batra, died during the course of the trial

NAVI MUMBAI: Three persons have been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of advocate Meenakshi Jaiswal, former chairperson of the Maharashtra State Commission for the Protection of Child Rights, more than a decade ago. The verdict was pronounced by additional sessions judge SS Shinde of the Panvel sessions court on Saturday.

Three get life for murder of advocate Meenakshi Jaiswal

The three individuals sentenced are Jaiswal’s driver Vinayak Thavra Chavan, and his accomplices Maninder Singh Bajwa alias Mithu and Suraj Rambhavan Jaiswal. A fourth accused, Surendrakumar Chamanlal Batra, died during the course of the trial. Chavan, Bajwa and Jaisawal were found guilty of conspiring to rob and ultimately murdering Meenakshi Jaiswal in her home in Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, on December 19, 2014.

The prosecution had stated that Jaiswal was killed during a robbery that had gone wrong. Her body was discovered in a pool of blood, her throat slit and two fingers severed, by the family doctor, who had been asked to check on her after repeated calls from her husband went unanswered. At the time, her husband Dr Santosh Jaiswal was serving as a civil judge in the Malegaon Sessions Court. The Jaiswals have two sons, Dr Vidyasagar and Dr Tejas.

Dr Jaiswal said Vinayak Chavan, their driver, was the mastermind. “On the day she was killed, I had spoken to my wife during the court recess. That same day, I had received an invitation for both of us to be chief guests at the centenary celebration of my alma mater. After court hours, I called to tell her about it, and she didn’t respond. Since she didn’t revert, I asked our family doctor to check on her. That’s when the horrifying incident came to light. Later, the police investigation revealed the role of our driver along with the others,” he said.

According to Dr Jaiswal, Chavan helped his three accomplices gain entry to the house and they attacked Meenakshi Jaiswal from behind. “She was attacked multiple times with a sickle,” said Jaiswal.

Special public prosecutor, Ujjwal Nikam, who led the prosecution, said 20 witnesses were examined during the trial. In the absence of eyewitness, the court relied on circumstantial evidence and convicted the accused. “They were found in possession of gold belonging to the victim, which was a crucial factor in the case,” said Nikam.

Senior police inspector, Dipak Surve, who was part of the investigating team, said the court has pronounced concurrent life terms for robbery and murder.

In addition to life sentences, Maninder Singh Bajwa and Suraj Jaiswal received seven years’ rigorous imprisonment under Section 397 (armed dacoity) and were fined ₹70,000 each.