BALURGHAT, July 31 -- A Balurghat court on Friday sentenced a man to rigorous life imprisonment for murdering his wife by setting her ablaze over dowry demands nearly a decade ago. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000, with an additional two months' simple imprisonment in default of payment, under Section 302 of the IPC.
The sentence was pronounced by Additional District and Sessions Judge (Second Court) Anindita Ganguly after convicting the accused, Manaranjan Saha, on Tuesday. The court awarded the punishment after hearing arguments from both the prosecution and the defence.
According to the prosecution, the victim's father, Sunil Singh, lodged a complaint with Balurghat Police Station on August 4, 2015. He alleged that his daughter, who had married Manaranjan Saha about four years earlier, was subjected to continuous physical and mental torture over dowry demands.
The prosecution stated that on July 29, 2015, the accused allegedly set his wife on fire. She was admitted to hospital with severe burn injuries but later succumbed to her injuries during treatment.
Following a detailed police investigation, a chargesheet was filed and the case went to trial. After a prolonged legal battle, the court found the accused guilty on Tuesday and pronounced the sentence on Friday.
"The prosecution was able to establish the charge beyond reasonable doubt through the evidence presented before the court. After considering the submissions of both sides, the court sentenced the accused to rigorous life imprisonment under Section 302 of the IPC along with a fine of Rs 10,000," Public Prosecutor Ritabrata Chakraborty said.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.