On Tuesday, Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court commuted death sentence handed down to a resident of Jalna district for killing his mother-in-law & the child in the womb of his pregnant wife, into life imprisonment.
“No doubt, the crime is heinous & condemnable,” said the bench of justice Ravindra Gauge & Justice BU Debadwar. However, the bench, felt that the crime committed by Krishna Pawar wasn't so barbaric & cold-blooded that it would send shivers down the spine of a person, warranting imposition of capital punishment, not only to punish him but also to deter such other murders.
According to the prosecution, the incident took place on Oct 24, 2015, at Walkhed. Wife of the 35-year-old labourer from Yawalpimpri in Jalna district had gone to her parent’s place, as Pawar used to suspect her character & harass her.
On the fateful day, Pawar had gone to bring back his wife, who was 9-months pregnant at the time. But, he was asked to meet them at Walkhed, where the parties intended to discuss the issues faced by the couple & resolve them mutually.
Pawar assaulted his pregnant wife, her mother & mother’s sister with a knife when the 3 women were waiting for Pawar’s brother-in-law. The attack resulted in the death of Pawar’s mother-in-law & the foetus in his wife’s womb. His wife & the sister of his mother-in-law survived the brutal attack.
Pawar was arrested & prosecuted for the murders & attempted murders. This year on June 18, an additional sessions judge at Jalna convicted Pawar for the murders & sentenced him to death, terming the case a rarest of a rare one.
On Tuesday, HC upheld his conviction, but commuted the death penalty handed down to him, to life imprisonment, after noticing that the brutal attack had resulted in the death of a woman & an unborn child, but the crime did not warrant the imposition of the extreme penalty.
The Judges said though Pawar had planned to attack his wife & mother-in-law, it was perhaps only a coincidence that the sister of his mother-in-law, Alkabai, also accompanied them. They felt, in the fit of anger Pawar might have overcome his sense of reason & went on to stab all the 3 ladies.
However, the HC has, taken stern note of four witnesses, including Alkabai, a victim of the attack, in the case turning hostile, & directed Jalna Sessions Court to conduct an inquiry as contemplated under section 340 of the Criminal Procedure Code, to initiate an action of perjury against the four witnesses.
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