E-Paper
Baramati court sentences farmer, son to life for nephew’s murder over residence dispute
The prosecution told the court that the father-son duo opposed Japan staying in Koravadi and repeatedly insisted that he remain at his in-laws’ native place in Bhigwan
The additional sessions court in Baramati has sentenced a fish farmer and his 25-year-old son to life imprisonment for murdering their relative following a dispute over his decision to reside in their native village under Daund tehsil.
Additional Sessions Judge SR Patil convicted Gorakh Aba Kale, 51, and his son Akash alias Akshay Gorakh Kale, 25, under Section 302 read with Section 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in his order on August 19.
The court also imposed a fine of ₹10,000 on each and directed that the total ₹20,000 be paid to the victim’s widow, Manisha Chavan, as compensation.
The case relates to the murder of Japan Chavan on January 15, 2021, at Koravadi village in Daund taluka. According to the prosecution, Japan was involved in a dispute with his maternal uncle Gorakh and cousin Akash over his decision to live in Koravadi.
The prosecution told the court that the father-son duo opposed Japan staying in Koravadi and repeatedly insisted that he remain at his in-laws’ native place in Bhigwan. Despite their objections, Japan returned to Koravadi and began living with his mother, Ladki, about three months before the incident.
On January 15, Ladki had gone to Daund with family members to collect work-related payments. Later that afternoon, while she was having tea near Sindhi School in Daund, Akash allegedly approached her on a motorcycle and told her that someone had killed Japan and that his body had been left behind a nearby hill.
According to the prosecution, Akash also told Ladki that he and his father had moved Japan’s body and left it in front of her house. He then took her back to Koravadi on his motorcycle.
When Ladki reached home, she found Japan lying on the verandah with serious injuries to his head and face. He was taken to the Government Hospital in Daund, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.
The prosecution case primarily rested on the testimony of a witness, who was 13 at the time of the incident. He was related to both the victim and the accused and was present in Koravadi on the day of the local gram panchayat elections.
He told the court that at around 3 pm, a quarrel broke out behind the informant’s house. He testified that he saw Akash lift Japan and slam him to the ground, following which Gorakh allegedly assaulted him on the head with an iron rod.
According to him, the father and son then moved Japan’s body towards the front of the house. The prosecution further said Gorakh took the witness towards a nearby sugarcane field, while Akash allegedly threatened to kill the boy’s sister if he disclosed what he had witnessed.
Additional Public Prosecutor DS Shingade relied on the eyewitness account along with medical and forensic evidence to establish the prosecution case.
Dr Rupali Pakhre, who conducted the post-mortem examination at the Sub-District Hospital in Daund, told the court that Japan had suffered multiple lacerated wounds to his left cheek, upper lip and head. The injuries caused skull damage and intracranial bleeding and were sufficient to cause death.
The prosecution also relied on the recovery of the alleged murder weapon. Investigators recovered an iron rod following a disclosure statement allegedly made by Gorakh under Section 27 of the Evidence Act. The rod, which had one sharp end and one circular end, was recovered from a thicket on barren land near Koravadi.
Forensic examination by the Regional Forensic Science Laboratory at Ganeshkhind in Pune found human blood of blood group ‘B’ on the seized iron rod and the clothes of the deceased, according to the prosecution evidence.
The defence, represented by advocate VN Burungale, questioned the reliability of the child witness and pointed to omissions in his earlier statements. It also argued that some family members had not fully supported the prosecution case during the trial.
The court, however, accepted the witnesses’ testimony, holding that the evidence of a child witness can form the basis of a conviction if found reliable and corroborated by other evidence. The court also considered the medical and forensic evidence supporting the eyewitness account.
