Special Correspondent
Pune: A woman and her daughter have been sentenced to life imprisonment and fined Rs 25,000 for the brutal murder of the woman’s daughter-in-law, stemming from a minor cooking dispute. The conviction was largely based on the victim’s dying declaration, supported by medical evidence, which left no ambiguity regarding the guilt of the accused.
The two convicted individuals are Mamta Vijay Chavan (48), residing in Mangalwar Peth, Shramik Nagar, and her daughter Rita (34), also known as Gauri Santosh Valmike, from Jayjawannagar. The mother and daughter set Deepali Amit Chavan (28) on fire by dousing her in kerosene, which led to her death. Prior to her death, Deepali had filed a complaint with the Hadapsar police station regarding the incident.
The tragic incident occurred on November 1, 2013, at approximately 5 p.m. in Shramik Nagar. Deepali, badly burned, was rushed to Sassoon General Hospital by her husband, Amit. In her last moments, she gave a statement to Assistant Inspector Parashuram Shinde, who recorded it in the presence of a doctor, which was later accepted as her dying declaration.
Deepali passed away from her injuries on November 4, 2013, prompting the police to arrest Mamta and Rita on murder charges under the Indian Penal Code. The investigation revealed that the victim had explicitly named her mother-in-law and sister-in-law as the perpetrators.
During the trial, the prosecution presented testimonies from eight witnesses, while the defense examined two witnesses. The accused argued that they were not at the crime scene, but the court found the victim’s pre-mortem statement to be credible, corroborated by the testimony of the Assistant Police Inspector and doctor, making it a pivotal piece of evidence in the case.
The court also referenced Supreme Court rulings regarding the admissibility of dying declarations. In the 2024 case of ‘Rajendra Ramdas Kolhe v. State of Maharashtra’ and the 2008 case of ‘Dasarath alias Champa and others v. Madhya Pradesh,’ the law affirms that when a person is close to death, they are presumed to speak the truth. This principle reinforced the validity of the dying declaration in this case.
With the conviction, justice was served in this appalling case of domestic violence, highlighting the crucial role of dying declarations in ensuring accountability.
