The Thane Police in Maharashtra arrested Aakash Meghji Katuva (29) in 2020 for the murder of his wife, Laxmi Katuva, and he has now been sentenced to life imprisonment by a local court.
Additional Sessions Judge V. G. Mohite on Wednesday convicted Katuva and imposed a fine of Rs10,000, according to a PTI report.
An FIR had been registered at the Kalwa Police Station, and Katuva remained in custody following his arrest shortly after the incident.
The couple had married in October 2018, but the relationship soon turned abusive. Additional Public Prosecutor Rashmi Kshirsagar told the court that Aakash frequently harassed Laxmi over domestic disputes and suspected her character.
On the day of the crime, in November 2020, at their residence in Thane’s Kalwa area, Katuva attacked his wife with a pressure cooker lid after she refused to give him money for petrol. He then slashed her throat with a knife and set her on fire by pouring thinner on her, the prosecution said.
During the trial, 13 prosecution witnesses testified to prove the charges.
The court noted that medical and post-mortem reports confirmed Laxmi’s death was homicidal, with incised neck wounds and burn injuries sufficient to cause death.
Rejecting the defense’s claim of an accidental fire, the court stated:
“There is nothing on record to show that Laxmi sustained burns accidentally. The evidence clearly establishes that her death was homicidal.”
The court ruled that the prosecution proved the case beyond reasonable doubt.
While prosecutors sought the maximum punishment, the court said the crime did not meet the “rarest of rare” threshold for a death sentence, and thus imposed life imprisonment.
