Bombay high court upholds lifer to man who burnt his wife to death

A division bench of justices PV Hardas and AS Gadkari of the high court recently upheld the life imprisonment handed down to a 30-year-old man, who within two months of his marriage murdered his wife by setting her on fire as he disliked her for not being as educated as him.

The court held that the dying declaration made by the victim in her hospital bed that her husband, Hari Patil of Karad in Satara district, had set her ablaze after a petty quarrel, was correct.

As per the police, the couple got married on May 10, 2007 and from the beginning Hari Patil disliked Savita as she wasn't as educated as him. Hari used to say that he wanted to marry a second time and asked Savita to give him a divorce.

On July 27, 2007, the victim and the accused had a pretty quarrel and the accused asked Savita to leave the house. When she asked him why he had then married her, Hari Patil dragged her to the kitchen and poured kerosene over her and set her ablaze. Their neighbours, hearing her screams, rushed to the house and doused the fire. She was then rushed to the civil hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries after giving a dying declaration.

During the trial, the accused denied all charges, and the prosecution examined eight witnesses. After examining the evidence, the court held the accused guilty. This was in 2010. Hari Patil challenged this order in the high court.

In the HC, the accused argued that the victim had suffered 100 per cent burn injuries and hence it would not have been possible for her to give a dying declaration. Further, it was argued that the police officer who had recorded the declaration had not followed the proper procedure. The prosecution, however, held that all due procedures had been followed.

After going through the evidence, HC held that "the appeal filed by the appellant (Patil) deserves to be dismissed as it is sans merit."