60-yr-old man sentenced to life for wife’s murder

Kanpur: Additional Session Court on Saturday convicted a 60-year-old man for committing murder of his wife three years ago, and sentenced him with life imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 40,000.

The presiding judge, Sapna Tripathi, in her order said that 50% of the fine amount be given to the deceased's daughter, Vaishnavi, for her treatment as she suffered acid-related burn injuries, and an injury on her elbow while saving her mother.

On the point of sentence, the defence lawyer pleaded leniency for his client, Arjun Verma, citing his old age, and that he was in jail since Jan 2024.

However, additional district govt counsel, Pradeep Kumar Sahu, pleaded for the harshest punishment. He submitted that the accused had murdered his wife and burnt her from acid, in which his daughter too suffered severe injuries.

The incident took place on July 24, 2023, and the FIR was registered by the victim's son, Karan Verma.

As per information, the accused hacked his wife to death with a sharp-edged weapon over a domestic dispute.

The incident took place in front of the victim's daughter who deposed in the court as a material witness against her father.

She testified that her father attempted to kill her too, but she escaped after getting hit on the elbow.

She further said that he fled the scene after the incident, after which neighbours alerted the police.