Mumbai: Bhandup man gets 10 years' rigorous imprisonment for stabbing girlfriend

MUMBAI: Five years after a Bhandup youth stabbed his girlfriend for refusing to marry him, a sessions court sentenced him to 10 years' rigorous imprisonment for attempt to murder. The court also found the now 31-year-old accused, Aakash Pande, guilty of attempting suicide and sentenced him to one year's imprisonment on that count. The accused had stabbed himself after attacking the woman.
"The offences proved against the accused are serious. While showing leniency to the accused the sufferings of the victim cannot be ignored. The punishment awarded should be proportionate to the offences proved," judge Sanjashree J Gharat said. The accused has been in jail since his arrest in 2017. The woman survived the attack and deposed against the accused. The woman's mother and two neighbours too deposed.
The survivor told the court the accused was her neighbour. She deposed that on June 27, 2017, when she was home with her mother, the accused came to their living room with a knife and repeatedly screamed, "I won't spare you." She said his mother was standing outside the door and so she pleaded with her to restrain her son. The accused's mother complied, but he still stabbed the survivor. She said she was in hospital for days as her large intestine was damaged.
Corroborating her version, her mother submitted that she saw her bleeding daughter and the accused holding a blood-soaked knife. She said the accused refused to drop the knife and stabbed himself, though was soon overpowered by neighbours.
The accused claimed he was in a relationship with the survivor. The defence lawyer alleged that she stabbed him and injured herself during a quarrel with her mother who objected to their marriage. But finding the accused guilty, the court said, "The victim is a survivor of attempt to murder. There is no reason to disbelieve her. Nothing is extracted during cross examination which will create doubt about her trustworthiness. No contradiction and omissions are brought on record. Moreover, the evidence of complainant (survivor's mother) is corroborated by independent witnesses."