A Maharashtra court has sentenced a 27-year-old man to five-year rigorous imprisonment for abetting the suicide of his live-in partner in 2016.

In the order passed recently, Additional Sessions Judge in Thane district R V Tamhanekar held Rakesh Baban Kumbhar guilty under IPC 306 and awarded the sentence.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on him.

Kumbhar was married and had a daughter.

But a few years ago, he and the victim, Kirti Gaikwad, came in contact and their friendship soon turned into an affair.

Till that time, he used to live with his family, while the woman lived with her parents.

He promised to marry Gaikwad and they started living together at Diva in Thane district in 2016.

However, whenever she asked Kumbhar about their marriage, he started evading her question. He also used to return home drunk, the prosecution told the court.

Moreover, he started doubting Gaikwad's character and there used to be heated exchanges between the two over the issue.

On November 27, 2016, the woman set herself on fire following an argument with Kumbhar. She suffered 90 per cent burns and died during treatment at a hospital three days later, the prosecution told the court.

The court said it was awarding the sentence "considering the nature of offence and the gravity of circumstances".

It noted that Kumbhar subjected the victim to "mental and physical cruelty", due to which she took her own life.

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