HC upholds life term for man who killed wife

The Delhi High Court has upheld the life sentence awarded to a man who was convicted of killing his wife by stabbing her multiple times sin public after she refused to bring more money as dowry.

A Bench of Justice S. Muralidhar and Justice I.S. Mehta said the trial court was correct in awarding life term to Deepak Kashyap for the offence of murder saying it was a case of premeditated crime.

“The appellant (Deepak Kashyap) left the deceased and her mother after having had his demand of ₹7 lakhs refused, went to the shop…purchased the knife and then came back. Therefore, it was not an attack at the spur of the moment,” the High Court noted.

“Secondly, there was no fight as such or even a sudden quarrel. The vcitim was only asking the appellant to come to her place so that they could normally sit down and talk peacefully…This can hardly be said to be a provocation warranting a stabbing spree on the part of the appellant,” it added.

The court refused Kashyap’s plea that the refusal by the victim and her mother to accede to his demand for money led to the quarrel and should be seen as sufficient provocation for the killing and that this was not a case of pre-meditation.

The incident took place on August 7, 2012, when the deceased and her mother went at the site of construction of their new house at Burari in Delhi. On reaching the site, the mother-daughter duo saw Kashyap already present.

He demanded ₹ 7 lakh from the victim and her mother.

Demand refused

They refused following which he left the spot.

When the victim and the mother were returning home, Kashyap met them again on the way and started walking with them. He continuously demanded the money upon which the deceased then told him to come to their house and talk peacefully.

Soon, he pulled out a knife and started stabbing the victim due to which she died at the spot.

The mother had tried to save her daughter and suffered a knife injury on her left hand.

On hearing the screams of the deceased’s mother, people gathered and chased Mr. Kashyap after which he was apprehended.

“The eyewitness testimonies having been completely corroborated by the medical evidence, there is no scope for taking a different view either on the conviction or on the sentences awarded to the appellant,” the Bench said dismissing . Kashyap’s appeal against his conviction.