Cal HC upholds life term in 2010 Thakurpukur murder

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court has upheld the life sentence of a man convicted of murdering a woman by strangulation at a house in Thakurpukur, holding that minor discrepancies in eyewitness accounts did not undermine the prosecution case.

A Division Bench comprising Justice Rajasekhar Mantha and Justice Md. Shabbar Rashidi dismissed the appeal against conviction under Section 302 of the IPC and affirmed the sentence of life imprisonment and fine imposed by the trial court.

The prosecution case was that on April 22, 2010, the victim had gone to her sister’s residence along with her daughter. At about 10.30 am, the accused entered the house and went upstairs where the victim was present. The daughter stated that the accused assaulted the victim with fists and blows and strangled her. On hearing cries, the daughter and the sister rushed to the first floor and found the assault in progress. The accused then fled on the sister’s scooter. The victim was taken to hospital and was declared dead on arrival.

Before the High Court, the defence argued that there was inconsistency between the daughter’s and the sister’s testimony, particularly as the sister did not specifically refer to strangulation. The Bench held that the difference was not a material contradiction and could be explained by their different physical positions when they entered the room.

The court relied on medical evidence which confirmed strangulation as the cause of death. The post-mortem findings recorded injuries and a crushed hyoid bone, corroborating the prosecution version.

The Bench also considered the testimony of another witness who claimed that the accused had helped take the victim to hospital.

The court found the evidence unreliable, noting that the accused had fled the scene and remained absconding for nearly one year after the incident. The scooter used in the escape was recovered later in front of a cinema hall.

Observing that the victim had refused indecent proposals made by the accused and had threatened to disclose certain matters, the court held that motive and intentional strangulation were established. Finding no reason to interfere with the conviction or

sentence, the Bench dismissed the appeal and affirmed

the life term.