Showing no leniency to the man who abetted the suicide of his wife, who was seven months pregnant then, the Bombay high court has upheld his conviction.
Justice TV Nalavade of the Aurangabad bench of HC upheld conviction of Gulab Ghorpade, 44, observing: "Evidence on record against the appellant (Ghorpade) is more than sufficient to prove that he has committed the offences punishable under sections 498-A (cruelty) and 306 (abetment to suicide) of (the) Indian Penal Code."
A sessions judge, in 2000, had sentenced Ghorpade to three years of imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs1,500. Ghorpade had challenged the verdict before the HC. Out on bail pending appeal before the HC, he has now been directed to surrender immediately.
Ghorpade and Sangeeta married in 1992. According to additional public prosecutor SB Pulkundwar, Ghorpade harassed Sangeeta and demanded that she get money from her parents. She had even complained to her parents that Ghorpade had demanded Rs1,000 to buy a new bed for himself.
Soon after marriage, she had often told her parents, brother and other relatives that Ghorpade was harassing her and even beating her over petty issues. Once when she visited her parents' house, her clothes smelt of kerosene. When asked, she revealed that Ghorpade had poured kerosene on her and she had run away.
However, after mediation by both their parents, she returned to her matrimonial home.
On May 5, 1995, Ghorpade's father visited Sangeeta's father and informed that she had been hospitalised due to burn injuries. She died before her parents could reach her. Post-mortem revealed several other injury marks on her.
Her father lodged an FIR the following day alleging that Ghorpade had set her on fire.
Defence advocate Joydeep Chatterjee argued that it was an accident. During the trial, Sangeeta's parents, brother, cousin and uncle testified that Ghorpade had been ill-treating her.
The doctor who conducted the post-mortem denied the defence's suggestion that Sangeeta's injuries could be self-inflicted. The HC observed that Ghorpade had failed to explain how Sangeeta had sustained those injuries.
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