A Pune sessions court has sentenced a 53-year-old man to life imprisonment for murdering his wife with an axe at their residence in Burkegaon village, Haveli taluka, in July 2024. The court relied on the testimony of the couple’s daughter, medical findings and DNA evidence to convict Babasaheb Maruti Jadhav under Section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
In default of payment, Jadhav will have to undergo three months of additional rigorous imprisonment. Additional Sessions Judge HB Bhosale pronounced the judgment on Saturday, and imposed a fine of ₹ 10,000. The post-mortem revealed 16 external injuries, including multiple chop wounds, besides a skull fracture and brain injuries.
The autopsy surgeon told the court that the injuries were consistent with an axe assault.
Jadhav, in custody since July 23, 2024, was granted a set-off for his detention period and informed of his right to appeal before the Bombay High Court within 30 days. The defence, represented by advocate GR Gajbhiye, questioned the investigation, citing missing fingerprints, CCTV footage and other evidence. However, the court held that these lapses did not undermine the prosecution’s case, represented by assistant public prosecutor NP Konghe. Observing that the circumstances formed a complete chain establishing guilt, the judge ruled that the case did not fall under the rarest of rare category warranting capital punishment.
