Navi Mumbai: After almost 10 and half years of the brutal murder of Advocate Meenakshi Jaiswal, the former Chairperson of the Maharashtra State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, the Panvel Sessions Court on Saturday has sentenced three accused men to life imprisonment. The verdict was delivered by Additional Sessions Judge S.S. Shinde.
The convicted individuals—Maninder Singh alias Mithu, Vinayak Thavra Chavan, and Suraj Rambhavan Jaiswal—were found guilty of conspiring to rob and ultimately killing Jaiswal at her Kharghar residence on December 19, 2014. A fourth accused, Surendrakumar Chamanlal Batra, died during the trial.
All three convicts have been handed two concurrent life sentences under Section 302 (murder) and Section 392 (robbery) of the Indian Penal Code. Additionally, Maninder Singh and Suraj Jaiswal received seven years of rigorous imprisonment under Section 397 (armed dacoity) and were fined ₹70,000 each.
According to the prosecution, the crime stemmed from a robbery plan gone wrong. The accused had gained access to the home through Vinayak Chavan, who was employed by the family as a driver. Jaiswal was found in a pool of blood, her throat slit and fingers severed, by the family doctor—who was asked to check on her after repeated calls from her husband went unanswered.
Dr. Santosh Jaiswal, a senior-level Civil Judge then posted in Malegaon, recalled speaking with his wife during a court recess on the day of the murder. When she didn’t respond to his calls later that day, he asked their family doctor to visit their home, leading to the discovery of the murder.
Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam led the prosecution, examining 20 witnesses. In the absence of an eyewitness, the court relied on strong circumstantial evidence—including the recovery of gold stolen from the victim—to secure the conviction.
"My wife trusted the driver who was recommended to us by a police officer I knew. He was nephew of the officer. Hence we hired him and he did good job as well. Taking advantage of the trust we had, he gained access into our house and brought the other men, in the pretext of getting work of cables done," husband of the deceased, Adv Jaiswal who is now retired and works as legal consultant, said. At the time of the incident, both their sons, who are now practicing doctors, were away for their education.
