Setting aside the death penalty, the Bombay High Court awarded life imprisonment to a 35-year-old resident of suburban Nalasopara who had stoned his wife and minor daughter to death and later chopped off their heads in July 2011.
A bench of justices V M Kanade and Anuja Prabhudessai sentenced Ayare to life yesterday, saying that he should not be released from prison before 30 years of imprisonment.
The judges observed, "Considering the nature of the crime and the manner in which two helpless victims, one being a minor child, were eliminated, in our considered view, a sentence of life imprisonment, which upon considering the remission, normally works out to a term of 14 years, would be grossly disproportionate and inadequate."
Showing no leniency to Ayare, the court observed, "There can be no doubt that the accused had committed murder of these two helpless victims in a most cruel, inhuman and diabolic manner. Though it is not known as to which of the victims was murdered first, the fact remains that the victim who was murdered at a later point of time had to witness the gruesome murder of the other victim."
"Thus, it is evident that apart from the physical pain caused to the victims, the accused had also subjected the victims to immense mental agony," the Judges said.
The HC was hearing a confirmation petition filed by the Maharashtra government seeking confirmation of death sentence imposed by the trial court.
Ayare was sentenced to death by additional sessions judge S J Kahirnar at Vasai in Thane district on February 13, 2014. As per law, a death sentence awarded by the sessions judge has to be confirmed by the High Court. Also, Ayare had filed an appeal challenging his sentence.
