Mumbai: A sessions court on Monday sentenced a 38-year-old man to life imprisonment for stabbing his wife to death in February 2020 after she filed a domestic violence complaint against him.

The accused Dinesh More, a security guard, lived with his wife Maya, their three minor granddaughters – Dakshita, 11, Gauri, 10, and Riddhi, 8 – and his mother, Radhabai, in Siddheshwar Nagar, Malad (East). Despite living together, the couple frequently quarrelled due to More’s suspicions about Maya’s fidelity.

About The Case

Five days before the incident, Maya, who worked as a house help, had filed a complaint at the Kurar police station against More for domestic violence, escalating tensions at home. On February 26, 2020, Maya returned from work at 6.30 pm and More arrived later at 9 pm. After dinner, the couple went for a walk around 11 pm. However, at midnight, More was taken to the police station following Maya’s complaint. After counselling, they were sent home. Around 1 am, More locked Maya inside the house and stabbed her multiple times, killing her. His mother later lodged the complaint, and he was arrested on February 27, 2020.

In his defence, More claimed he was at a hospital at the time of the incident. His lawyers examined his daughters to support this claim, but the court rejected the defence. “If an accused takes a defence of alibi, it must be proved with cogent evidence,” the court stated. It noted that More failed to provide proof or witness testimony supporting his hospital visit.

The court added that since the crime occurred inside the couple’s house and More was last seen with Maya, the burden was on him to explain the circumstances. “When a crime occurs inside a house occupied by the accused and the deceased, and there is no explanation from the accused, an adverse inference can be drawn,” the court said.