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A court in Maharashtra's Thane district has sentenced a 31-year-old man to life imprisonment for the murder of a woman following a robbery that took place eight years ago.
According to PTI, Additional Sessions Judge Mangala A Mote, presiding over the Kalyan court, delivered the verdict on Tuesday, convicting Mukesh Ganpat Nimse, a resident of Kharivali village in Shahapur taluka. Along with the life sentence, the court imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 on the accused.
As per PTI reports, the judge ordered that Rs 19,000 of the fine be awarded as compensation to the victim's family, while Rs 1,000 would be credited to the state to cover prosecution costs.
The prosecution, led by Additional Public Prosecutor Kadambini Khandagale, informed the court that the crime took place on 9 August 2017. The accused robbed Sandhya Ganesh Nimse, the wife of a carpenter, of her gold jewellery and subsequently murdered her on agricultural land in Kharivali village.
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During the trial, the advocate representing the accused pleaded for a lesser sentence, arguing that the case did not fall under the "rarest of rare" category, which is typically required for the death penalty.
However, the court rejected this plea. As per PTI, the judge stated that although the case does not meet the criteria for capital punishment, the accused committed a grave crime driven by greed for ornaments. The nature of the offence, the court noted, warranted strict punishment.
PTI reports that the prosecution successfully proved the charges beyond reasonable doubt. Over the course of the trial, a total of 13 prosecution witnesses were examined to establish the guilt of the accused.
After considering all evidence and arguments presented, the court concluded that Mukesh Ganpat Nimse was guilty of murder and robbery, thereby sentencing him to life imprisonment.
In a similar case a court in Maharashtra's Thane district has sentenced a 30-year-old man to life imprisonment for the murder of a man in 2016, reported news agency PTI.
Additional sessions judge A N Sirsikar convicted the accused, Ajay Lalbahaddur Vishwakarma, of the charges under section 302 (murder) and other relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code and sentenced him to life imprisonment and a five-year rigorous imprisonment term, reported PTI.
The sentences will run concurrently, the court ordered.
The court, however, acquitted Sanjay Firatlal Goutam, a co-accused in the case, citing lack of conclusive evidence against him.
A copy of the order passed on Thursday was made available on Saturday.
Additional public prosecutor Rekha Hiwrale informed the court that on July 27, 2016, the victim, Jay Prajapati, went missing after informing his father that he was at Bhayandar railway station, reported PTI.
She said messages were sent from Prajapati's mobile phone, demanding Rs 15 lakh for his release. However, despite efforts by his family and the police, the victim could not be traced, and his body was later discovered wrapped in a motorcycle cover in the mangroves.
The prosecution said the forensic investigation and digital evidence linked Vishwakarma to the crime.
At least 16 prosecution witnesses, including the victim's kin and medical officers, were examined during the trial, she said.
The court noted that key prosecution witnesses testified after a six-year delay, leading to some discrepancies, reported PTI.
However, judge Sirsikar observed that minor inconsistencies should not undermine the credibility of the evidence.
The court ruled that while the prosecution failed to prove the ransom demand and the involvement of the second accused, it successfully established that Vishwakarma had a motive to kill Prajapati due to personal enmity.
He highlighted that the discovery of the deceased's body at the instance of the accused and the extra-judicial confession before a witness played a crucial role in securing the conviction, reported PTI.
The judge, in his order, ruled that the case did not fall under the 'rarest of rare' category warranting capital punishment.
The court acquitted the co-accused, Sanjay Firatlal Goutam, stating that his mere presence at railway stations captured in CCTV footage was insufficient to establish his role in the crime.
(With inputs from PTI)
