Man gets life term for setting wife ablaze, killing baby in womb

Rajneesh Lakhanpal

Legal Correspondent

Ludhiana, January 20

The Court of Additional Sessions Judge Lukhvinder Kaur Duggal has convicted Pardeep Kumar of Guru Nanak Nagar, 33 feet Road, Mundian Kalan, here of killing his wife by setting her ablaze. Her daughter died in the womb.

He was ordered to undergo rigorous life imprisonment. A fine of Rs 15,000 was also imposed on him.

Additional Public Prosecutor Balwinder Singh said a case against the accused was registered at the Jamalpur police station on May 31, 2014.

The police had got information that Pinki, wife of the accused, was admitted to the DMCH with burns.

Duty Magistrate Mehak Sabharwal had recorded her statement in the hospital. She had stated that three years ago, she got married to Pardeep Kumar. She had a one-year-old son.

Her husband had been repeatedly beating her up for the past two days and he had been drinking heavily. On the fateful day, he did not to his workplace. He didn’t let his wife meet with her child. While she was washing clothes, her husband poured oil over her and set her on fire. She had also accused her mother-in-law and sister-in-law of instigating her husband. However, the court found them innocent.

During treatment, she delivered a dead female baby. Later, she died.

During the trial the accused pleaded innocence. But after appreciating the evidence on record and testimony of 14 prosecution witnesses, the court found him guilty.