STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: A Division Bench of J&K State High Court comprising Justice Janak Raj Kotwal and Justice B. S Walia on Monday upheld the life-imprisonment of Girdhari Lal and Janki Devi, husband and mother-in-law of deceased Nirmal Devi respectively, who killed her as she had not given birth to any child.
While hearing the criminal appeal, the Bench observed that the appellants had been nourishing intention to do away with the life of the deceased to pave way for second marriage of Girdhari Lal as the deceased had not given birth to any child.
The Court was informed that two days prior to the incident, the deceased had fled to the house of her brother, Om Parkash and had complained that Janki Devi has threatened to kill her. But next day, Girdhari Lal took his wife back to his house.
It was further informed that on the day of incident, i.e. on 13th October, 1997, there was high voltage tension in the household of the appellants and they were found beating the deceased. On the same day, dead body of Nirmal Devi was found in the house of the appellants. She had died of asphyxia caused by strangulation and her body was set ablaze, the Court observed.
During the hearing, the prosecution succeeded in proving that the appellants committed murder of the deceased inside their house by strangulating her to death and in order to cause disappearance of evidence of murder and camouflage it as a case of suicide set her dead body ablaze. The Court, thus, upheld the life-imprisonment of husband and mother-in-law of the deceased and fine Rs 5,000.