Observing that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, the Bombay High Court has upheld the life sentence awarded to a man who set his wife on fire, leading to her death.
The High Court rejected the defence of the accused, Bapurao Salave, that his wife Mangal committed suicide by setting herself on fire.
According to prosecution, on March 14, 2010, Bapurao poured kerosene on his wife and set her afire following a quarrel. He was tried by Mumbai sessions court which convicted him on April 30, 2012 and awarded him life sentence.
While hearing his appeal, the bench headed by Justice P V Hardas relied upon the woman's dying declaration.
Advocate Arfan Sait, Salave's lawyer, argued that Salave had put out the flames and tried to save Mangal.
But the HC held that the fact that he had set her on fire in the first place was proven; the subsequent attempt of extinguishing the fire would not in any manner, even remotely, indicate that he had no intention to kill her.
The attempt to save her could have been actuated as a result of several factors, but it would not mean that the appellant had no intention to kill Mangal, the judges said.
