A 42-year-old rickshaw driver has been sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering his second wife, Jaya, in August 2015 after she refused to give him money for alcohol. Patil’s first wife, Rupali, had previously committed suicide due to his harassment.
Details of case
Devendra Patil, a resident of Kandivali, attacked Jaya with a sickle on August 15, 2016, following an argument over money. He was arrested on September 8, 2015, after threatening suicide but surviving. Patil had two children, Omkar and Akanksha, from his first marriage, who are now under the care of Jaya’s brother.
The complaint was filed by Jaya’s nephew, citing frequent abuse by Patil. Neighbours often witnessed Patil’s violent behaviour, leading them to intervene on the day of the incident.
Despite Patil’s claim of Jaya’s suicide, the court found his defence weak. The postmortem report confirmed multiple deep incise injuries inflicted with a sickle, which indicated Patil’s clear intention to cause Jaya’s death.
The court said, “Considering the nature of the injuries on the vital part of the deceased it shows that injuries were intended to be inflicted to cause death of the deceased. Therefore it was a clear intention on the part of the accused to cause such injury, which is sufficient to cause the death of deceased in the ordinary course of nature and no other inference can be done.”
