CHITRADURGA: District Judge of Chitradurga court S B Vastramath made yet another record judgment where he awarded life imprisonment to a convict on Monday, within 13 days of the crime being committed. On Saturday, he had earlier given his judgment in a murder case in record 11 days.
Judge Vastramath, who heard the trial of the Baggala Rangavvanahalli murder case, concluded that Sridhar murdered his wife Sakamma, 26. Apart from the jail term, the judge imposed a fine of Rs 30,000 for the crime that was tried under Section 302 (murder) of the IPC. Should he fail to pay up the fine, Sridhar will have to undergo another three months of simple imprisonment.
The judge also convicted Sridhar on charges of harassing his wife under Section 498 (A), for which he was punished with one-year rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 5,000. Sridhar is liable to 30 days simple imprisonment in case he defaults, which could run concurrently with the three-month SI term, as per the order. Principal District Public Prosecutor B Jayaram pleaded on behalf of the government.
Poverty considered for fine
That both the victim and the convict had poor financial backgrounds was considered while deciding the fine amount, Judge Vastramath said. He also announced that the state ask the Social Welfare department to provide a compensation of Rs 1,000 monthly to each of the two children of the couple. This amount should be used to educate them.
The judge ordered that the victim’s compensation be handed over to her family soon, so should and the money should be deposited in the children’s names. Before announcing the judgment, Judge Vastramath asked Sridhar if he had anything to tell the court. When Sridhar replied in the negative, the judge revealed that he had made the decision after going through 38 witnesses, of which the “key witness” was the couple’s three-and-half-year-old son Arjun (changed name). “It is clear that you killed your wife,” Judge Vastramath said. The convict at this point was teary-eyed when he looked at the children.
The murder
On June 26, Sridhar got into a fight with his wife Sakamma. At 2.30 am that night, Sridhar smashed her head with a rock when she was asleep and fled the scene. The two had a love marriage five years ago. Turuvanuru PSI D G Srinivas swung into action and arrested Sridhar the following day. Sridhar told the inspector that he had consumed poison, so was admitted to a hospital on June 28. Police found that Sridhar was inebriated when he committed the crime.
He killed his wife on suspicion of infidelity
Sridhar killed his wife Sakamma because he suspected her fidelity, police said. The two frequently quarrelled. They had a tiff even on the day of the murder when Sridhar bludgeoned her to death with a rock while she was asleep. An officer who was part of the investigating team told The New Indian Express that Sridhar started doubting his wife after the birth of their second child. “The frequent ugly spats between the two were curbed by their parents and family friends, but in the early hours of June 27, when there was no one to bring truce between the two, Sridhar killed his wife and went missing,” he said. “The lone eyewitness to the ghastly crime was their three-and-a-half-year-old elder child, Arjun (changed name),” he added. He was caught the next day. He then tried to mislead them saying he had consumed poison, which was annulled by doctors of the district hospital where they took the accused to.
Agile police played their part
The district police played an important role in ensuring speedy justice by registering a formal complaint within 24 hours of the murder and completed its probe in three days. They filed the charge sheet within 72 hours.
2nd fastest judgment in India
The judgement, pronounced by Judge S B Vastramath, is the second fastest one in the judicial history of the country. The same judge, on Saturday, awarded life imprisonment to N Parameshwara Swamy (75) of Valase village in Challakere taluk, for killing his wife after he suspected her fidelity, incidentally on the same day, June 27.