High court sets aside death penalty, acquits man

Sentenced to death for setting his elderly employers ablaze, a 31-year-old domestic help was today acquitted by the Bombay high court of the charges, ruling that his conviction was based on circumstantial evidence only.

A division bench of justice BH Marlapalle and justice Abhay Thipsay were hearing a confirmation of the death penalty awarded to Sandeep Maingade (then 28 years) by the sessions court on May 6, 2009, as well as Maingade’s appeal against it.

Maingade was arrested on February 18, 2008, three days after the charred bodies of Dilip Randheri (72) and his wife Varsha (61) were discovered by their son Niraj in their sixth floor residence in Santa Cruz (West).

Additional public prosecutor YS Shinde said that Maingade became the prime suspect as he disappeared after the bodies were discovered. The prosecution argued that while Maingade was being reprimanded by the couple for breaking a plate, he pushed Dilip, whose head hit a television trolley and began bleeding profusely. Varsha fainted on seeing this. Fearing that the couple would inform the police, Maingade allegedly stabbed Varsha. He then poured kerosene and set the couple on fire. He then took a taxi to Mumbai Central State Transport bus station and boarded a Dapoli-bound bus. From there he fled to his village Boke Mathgaon in Ratnagiri district.

Maingade’s advocate Wahab Khan argued that none of the neighbours saw smoke coming from the house. Also, even though the crime branch officials arrested Maingade from Ratnagiri, they took panchas from Mumbai.