Mumbai: The Thane Sessions Court has convicted a 37-year-old Mulund resident for brutally killing his estranged wife with a hammer at her Mumbra residence in September 2023. The court sentenced the man to life imprisonment.
The court, in its order, observed that the prosecution had proved beyond reasonable doubt that the accused was the perpetrator of the offence.
The court also held that the prosecution successfully established the case through the testimonies of injured eyewitnesses, independent neighbours, and medical evidence.
Life imprisonment and fine imposed
Principal District and Sessions Judge S.B. Agrawal convicted accused Vijay Mishra alias Samir Shaikh under Sections 302 and 324 of the Indian Penal Code and sentenced him to life imprisonment along with a fine of ₹1 lakh for the murder charge.
The court also sentenced him to three years’ imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹10,000 for causing injuries to the victim’s mother and daughter during the attack. Both sentences will run concurrently.
Victim had been living separately for two years
According to the prosecution, the accused murdered his wife, Zarin Israr Ansari, on September 28, 2023, inside her mother’s house at Mhatre Chawl in Mumbra by repeatedly assaulting her with a hammer on her head, chest, forehead, and nose.
The prosecution stated that the couple frequently argued and that the victim had been staying separately with her mother and children for nearly two years. The accused allegedly suspected her character and was upset over her living away from him.
Accused allegedly arrived carrying hammer in a bag
The court noted that on the afternoon of the incident, the accused arrived at the house carrying a bag containing a hammer. After a scuffle, he allegedly dragged the victim downstairs and repeatedly attacked her.
The victim’s mother, Saida Ansari, and the couple’s minor daughter, Shirin, were also injured while trying to intervene.
Daughter and mother testified as injured eyewitnesses
The prosecution examined 11 witnesses, including the deceased’s 13-year-old daughter, her mother, neighbours, and the investigating officer.
The daughter and mother, both injured eyewitnesses, gave detailed accounts of the assault before the court. Independent witnesses from the neighbourhood also corroborated the prosecution’s version.
Court rejects defence arguments over FIR delay
The defence argued that there was a delay in lodging the FIR and recording witness statements and also claimed that the injuries on the accused were unexplained.
However, the court rejected these submissions, observing that the incident occurred on the day of Eid-E-Milad and Anant Chaturdashi when heavy police bandobast was deployed in the sensitive Mumbra area, which explained the delay.
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Medical report recorded 22 injuries
Medical evidence showed that the victim suffered 22 injuries, including multiple penetrating and bone-deep wounds on the head, face, chest, and neck.
The postmortem report stated that the cause of death was haemorrhage and shock due to head injuries along with penetrating chest injuries.
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