Death penalty for man convicted of killing five

Nagpur: Additional sessions judge RS Pavaskar on Saturday awarded death sentence to Vivek Palatkar for murdering five members at his kin’s house, including his four-year-old son, at Aradhana Nagar in June 2018. The court also slapped a fine of Rs50,000 on him, and another five years of imprisonment in case of default.
The court stated the death sentence would be subject to confirmation by the high court. Palatkar has been given 30 days to appeal in the high court.
This is the second conviction for Palatkar in a murder case, under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), in the sessions court. He was earlier convicted for his wife’s murder in 2014 but later acquitted by the high court.
The court has also directed the District Legal Services Authorities (DLSA) to arrange for adequate compensation for Kamlakar’s daughter’s Mitali and Palatkar’s daughter Vaishnavi, who is now in an orphanage.
In the wee hours of June 11, 2018, Palatkar had bludgeoned to death his brother-in-law Kamlakar Pawankar (53), his wife Archana (45), their daughter Vedanti (12) and Kamlakar’s mother 70-year-old Meerabai. He did not spare his son Krushna too.
Palatkar had fled to Ludhiana soon after committing the mass murder. The crime branch had nabbed him after 10 days by tracing his cellphone.
Addl public prosecutor Abhay Jikar, who had examined 29 witnesses, said the court observed that the act not only killed five persons but also orphaned two minors. “The court pronounced the verdict after meticulously following the Supreme Court guidelines examining the aggravating and mitigating circumstances. The defence tried to cite Palatkar’s mother’s dependence on him,” said Jikar.
As per Jikar, the star witnesses in the case, like Vaishnavi and Mitali, helped the court arrive at the verdict. “The deposition by neighbours who had seen Palatkar entering the house and the shop owner from whom he had purchased the crowbar too went a long way in nailing him,” said Jikar who was assisted by advocate Mohammed Ateeque roped in by Kamlakar’s younger brother Keshav.
Ateeque said it seemed the court was not convinced that there was any chance of Palatkar to reform. “This is Palatkar’s second conviction. He had also attempted to murder while in the prison,” said Ateeque.
The case, registered at Nandanvan police station, was investigated by the then inspector (crime) MM Salukhe who had also filed the charge sheet.
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‘Palatkar was nonchalant in court’
Nagpur: Keshav, younger brother of one of the murder victims, Kamlakar Pawankar, said he was shocked to see Vivek Palatkar remain indifferent even when the court pronounced the death sentence on Saturday.
He said the verdict has helped him cross a hurdle but he is readying to ensure Palatkar reaches the gallows. “The high court had overturned the earlier murder conviction and set Palatkar free after which he committed five more murders. Now, we are ready with documents, records and other details to fight till the Supreme Court,” said Keshav.