Tandoor case: victim was not a hapless woman, SC says

The Supreme Court today discarded the contention of the police that the death sentence awarded to former Youth Congress leader Sushil Sharma should be retained as he shot dead and burnt the body of a helpless woman, his wife Naina Sahni, saying she was "not hapless".
A bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam said Sharma was not in a "dominant position" with regard to his wife who was a qualified pilot and an independent lady capable of taking her own decisions.
"The appellant (Sharma) was the state President of the Youth Congress in Delhi. The deceased was a qualified pilot and she was also the state General Secretary of Youth Congress (Girls Wing), Delhi. She was an independent lady who was capable of taking her own decisions. From the evidence on record, it cannot be said that she was not in touch with people residing outside the four walls of her house.

"She was not a poor illiterate hapless woman. Considering the social status of the deceased, it would be difficult to come to the conclusion that the appellant was in a dominant position qua her," the bench said.
The observations were made by the apex court while commuting to life imprisonment the death sentence awarded to Sharma by a trial court in 2003 and upheld by the Delhi High Court in 2007.