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Pune court sentences two to life for murdering woman to frame rivals
A Pune court on Friday sentenced two men to life imprisonment for the 2016 murder of their 60-year-old relative, holding that they killed her with an iron rod as part of a conspiracy to frame rivals in a local feud
A Pune court on Friday sentenced two men to life imprisonment for the 2016 murder of their 60-year-old relative, holding that they killed her with an iron rod as part of a conspiracy to frame rivals in a local feud.
Additional Sessions Judge R N Hiwase convicted Ajinath Bhosale, 30, and Akash Chavan, 19, both residents of Khutalevasti in Wade Bolhai, Haveli taluka, under sections 302 (murder) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy), read with section 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
A third accused, Thanlal Bhosale, died during the trial and proceedings against him were abated.
The court sentenced the two to rigorous imprisonment for life and fined them ₹1,000 each. In default, they will undergo two months’ simple imprisonment. It said no separate sentence was warranted for the conspiracy offence.
The case dates to June 25, 2016, when police found Mangi Bhosale, 60, dead near grazing land at Gat No. 588 in Wade Bolhai. PSI Ravindra Parkhe of Lonikand police station received information about the death around 7am.
According to the prosecution, Ajinath initially reported the death as accidental, saying the family had gone to sleep and found Mangi dead around 4.30am without knowing how she was injured.
A post-mortem found 17 antemortem external injuries, including severe head and facial injuries, rib fractures and spinal injuries caused by blunt force.
The prosecution said the accused had disputes with local villagers, including Raju Pathare and Santosh Kharat, and decided to kill Mangi and implicate Pathare and seven others. Mangi was allegedly attacked with an iron rod while asleep.
Additional Public Prosecutor Pradip Gehalot examined 10 witnesses. The prosecution relied on circumstantial, medical and forensic evidence, including the recovery of the alleged weapon and clothes.
The court said the conduct of the accused after the assault was significant, questioning how they could have remained unaware of the attack while sleeping in the same house.
“It is obvious that when the deceased Mangi was so brutally assaulted, causing a large number of injuries to her, she would have resisted the said assault, she would have shouted, she would have made hue and cry and scuffle. It is the natural human conduct,” the court observed.
It also noted that the accused failed to explain how Mangi sustained the fatal injuries inside their house.
“As per Section 106 of the Evidence Act, the burden is upon the accused to explain the circumstances of how the deceased Mangi received those injuries in their house resulting in her death. Therefore, this silence is a very strong circumstance against the accused persons,” the court said.
An iron rod and clothes were recovered at Chavan’s instance, and forensic analysis found human blood on the articles. The court said the accused had offered no plausible explanation for the blood stains.
Rejecting the defence claim of false implication due to political pressure, the court held that the medical evidence, the accused’s conduct, the recoveries, and the forensic findings formed a complete chain proving their guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
The court also directed that the convicts receive set-off for the period spent in custody during the trial.
