Marital dispute not a ground to conclude husband set wife ablaze: Madras HC [Read Judgment]

Chennai: The Madras High Court has overturned the conviction of a man accused of murdering his wife by setting her ablaze, emphasizing the lack of legally acceptable evidence connecting him to the crime.

Madras High Court Overturns Husband’s Conviction in Wife’s Murder Case

Justice G.R. Swaminathan and Justice R. Poornima delivered the judgment on January 24, 2025, in Criminal Appeal No. 204 of 2021, allowing the appeal filed by Vendaraja against his conviction by the Fast Track Mahila Court, Virudhunagar District.

Court Cites Lack of Evidence in Husband’s Alleged Role in Wife’s Death

The court observed:

“The victim had died in a tragic manner. Merely because it has been shown that there were serious matrimonial disputes between the deceased and the accused, we cannot jump to the conclusion that it was the accused who had set fire to his wife. There must be legally acceptable evidence to connect the accused with the crime. Such evidence is lacking.”

The case involved the death of Kaleeswari, who suffered 100% burns on September 22, 2015. The prosecution alleged that the accused had assaulted her, tied her legs with a cord, poured kerosene on her, and set her on fire after suspecting her fidelity and blaming her for their child’s death.

However, the High Court found critical inconsistencies in the testimonies of key prosecution witnesses. The judges noted that one witness claimed to have heard screams only 15 minutes after the accused allegedly left the scene, which was “consistent with the theory of self-immolation projected by the accused.”

The court also highlighted discrepancies regarding the recovery of the house key and the condition of the rope allegedly used to tie the victim’s legs, which was found “burnt only at the top” despite the victim suffering 100% burns.

“We are of the view that the court below did not consider these circumstances. It glibly accepted the testimonies of P.W.1, P.W.2, and P.W.9. It casually brushed aside the discrepancy regarding the recovery of the house key,” the judges observed.

The bench concluded that the prosecution failed to establish its case beyond reasonable doubt, set aside the impugned judgment, and acquitted the appellant of all charges.

The trial court had previously convicted Vendaraja under Sections 302 and 498-A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), sentencing him to life imprisonment and three years of rigorous imprisonment, respectively.

Advocate M. Sankar appeared for the appellant, while Additional Public Prosecutor E. Antony Sahaya Prabahar represented the State.

Case Title: Vendaraja vs. The State rep. by The Inspector of Police, Alangulam Police Station, Virudhunagar District

[Read Judgment]