he acquittal by the Bombay high court of Leena Devasthaliand her daughter Deepti,of the charge of murdering Dr Deepak Mahajan came as a jolt to the latter’s family.
The acquittal by the Bombay high court on Wednesday of Leena Devasthali, 57, a lawyer, and her daughter, Deepti, 27, a medical student, of the charge of murdering Pune-based orthopaedic surgeon Dr Deepak Mahajan came as a jolt to the latter’s family.
Dr Parag Mahajan, brother of the slain doctor, voiced his disappointment at the high court holding the mother-daughter duo guilty of kidnapping and seven other charges, but not murder, and reducing their punishment.
Parag said the family would wait for its copy of the judgment, which will be available in the first week of October. “It is unfortunate that the death sentence given to the two convicted women has been reduced to life imprisonment,” he said. “My brother was kidnapped and murdered. They committed a heinous crime, and deserved nothing less than death. ”
He added that the family might move the high court on October 5, demanding capital punishment for the Devasthalis. “We will study the judgement once we get it, and file our application accordingly.”
What happened
The mother-daughter duo had allegedly murdered Dr Deepak Mahajan on July 2, 2006, administering him sedatives. Later, they demanded a ransom of Rs25 lakh. Dr Mahajan went to a lodge on Tilak Road to meet the two women. There, he was allegedly administered sedatives by the Devasthalis.
Later, they took an unconscious Dr Mahajan to their Uttamnagar home. The two allegedly continued to administer him sedatives, led to his death. The two then hacked his body into several pieces and dumped them at a place by the Pune-Nasik highway.
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