Mumbai: HC upholds man’s conviction for killing girlfriend, attempting suicide

Observing that it was “a case of gruesome murder of a girl at the hands of her boyfriend”, the Bombay High Court has upheld the boyfriend’s conviction for murder and attempting suicide.

A division bench of Justices Prasanna Varale and Shrikant Kulkarni upheld conviction of Sumit Giri, 30, observing that the 19 injuries found on the victim's body clearly indicated the way the accused had planned to eliminate her after questioning her fidelity.

The HC was hearing an appeal filed by Giri challenging his conviction. Thane sessions judge, on May 2, 2012, had sentenced Giri to life imprisonment for murdering his 20-year-old girlfriend in a hotel room in 2008 in attempting suicide.

The High Court had passed the order on June 27 and a copy of the same was made available on Wednesday.

According to the prosecution, police found Giri and his girlfriend, with stab wounds, in an unconscious state in a hotel room at Rabale in Navi Mumbai on March 20, 2008. They were rushed to a hospital, where the girlfriend was declared dead on arrival. Giri subsequently regained consciousness and was arrested.

While dismissing Giri’s appeal on June 27, the HC noted that the prosecution had submitted “clear and unambiguous” evidence which proves his guilt.

“It is a case of gruesome murder of a girl at the hands of her boyfriend. Nineteen external injuries were found on the person of late Samantha which clearly indicates the way, the Appellant had planned to eliminate her from this earth. It was found to be a tragic death of girlfriend Samantha on that unfortunate day where the Appellant / Accused has booked a room and committed murder of his girlfriend Samantha by taking doubt that she is not loyal to him,” noted the HC in its 37-page judgment.

The court dismissed Giri’s defence that he and his girlfriend were attacked by three unidentified men and termed it as a "bundle of false" explanation.

Published on: Wednesday, July 06, 2022, 09:00 PM IST