HC upholds life term in 1997 ‘Jamai Shasti’ night murder

Kolkata: Nearly 28 years after a young woman was brutally killed on the night of ‘Jamai Shasti’, the Calcutta High Court has upheld the life sentence of her husband, ruling that the chain of evidence left “no room for doubt” about his guilt.

The judgment was delivered by Justices Rajasekhar Mantha and Ajay Kumar Gupta. The victim, Jogomaya, was lured by her husband to a late-night film show in June 1997. He later appeared voluntarily at the local police station, claiming that both he and his wife had been abducted and he had been stripped by armed miscreants. The prosecution alleged that the husband attacked the wife with a sharp weapon at a deserted spot, then tried to stage the killing as a robbery and abduction to mislead the investigation.

The court found his story—that armed miscreants had stripped and abducted both him and his wife—“implausible.” “If robbery or rape was the object, there was no reason to disrobe the husband,” the judges noted, highlighting that the false narrative itself was an incriminating circumstance.

Several pieces of evidence supported the prosecution. Two cinema tickets were recovered from the accused’s clothes and a bloodstained long knife allegedly used in the attack was seized at his instance. Ornaments belonging to the deceased, including a monogrammed ring and a watch, were also recovered following his disclosures. Human blood was found on his garments, which he failed to explain in court.

Eyewitnesses testified that the husband made an extra-judicial confession before villagers and relatives shortly after the killing. Although one witness later turned hostile, others consistently corroborated the account, and the court noted that cross-examination by the defence was minimal.

Medical evidence revealed deep incised wounds on the victim’s throat and abdomen, which were sufficient in the ordinary course of nature to cause death. The injuries matched the recovered weapon.

The court acknowledged certain investigative lapses: some seized items were not produced in court, and the victim’s blood group was not established. Yet, the judges concluded that the cumulative effect of all circumstances — last-seen evidence, recovery of incriminating articles, false defence, confessions, and medical findings — formed a complete chain pointing only to the husband’s guilt.

“The only conclusion possible is that the accused murdered his wife,” the bench said, affirming the life sentence and dismissing the appeal.