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Man gets life for murdering wife with axe
Jadhav was addicted to alcohol and frequently ill-treated his wife, Lakshmi, suspecting her character
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A Pune sessions court has sentenced a 53-year-old man to life imprisonment for murdering his wife with an axe at their residence in Burkegaon village, Haveli taluka, in July 2024. The court relied on the testimony of the couple’s daughter, medical findings and DNA evidence to convict Babasaheb Maruti Jadhav under Section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Additional Sessions Judge HB Bhosale pronounced the judgment on Saturday, and imposed a fine of ₹10,000. In default of payment, Jadhav will have to undergo three months of additional rigorous imprisonment.
According to the prosecution, Jadhav was addicted to alcohol and frequently ill-treated his wife, Lakshmi, suspecting her character. Their daughter, Nikita Pawar, who worked with her mother at a private firm, was the first informant.
On July 23, 2024, Lakshmi did not call Nikita at their usual time of 4 am to wake her up for work. After failing to contact her mother, Nikita went to work. She returned home around noon with her husband after learning that Lakshmi was not answering calls.
The couple found the house locked from inside. After breaking open the door, Nikita found her mother lying in a pool of blood, with multiple injuries. A blood-stained axe was lying nearby, while her father was sleeping in the same room under a blanket.
When awakened, Jadhav allegedly told his daughter that he had killed her mother with the axe. Lakshmi was taken to Sassoon General Hospital, where she was declared dead.
The post-mortem revealed 16 external injuries, including multiple chop wounds, besides a skull fracture and brain injuries. The autopsy surgeon told the court that the injuries were consistent with an axe assault.
DNA analysis by the Regional Forensic Science Laboratory, Pune, established that blood found on the axe, the deceased’s blouse and Jadhav’s shirt matched Lakshmi’s DNA profile.
The defence, represented by advocate GR Gajbhiye, questioned the investigation, citing missing fingerprints, CCTV footage and other evidence. However, the court held that these lapses did not undermine the prosecution’s case, represented by assistant public prosecutor NP Konghe.
Observing that the circumstances formed a complete chain establishing guilt, the judge ruled that the case did not fall under the rarest of rare category warranting capital punishment. Jadhav, in custody since July 23, 2024, was granted a set-off for his detention period and informed of his right to appeal before the Bombay High Court within 30 days.
