POONAM BAI Vs. STATE OF CHHATTISGARH

JUDGEMENT

(1.) - This appeal calls into question the judgment dated 06.04.2018 passed by the High Court of Chhattisgarh at Bilaspur in ACQA No. 205 of 2010, by which the judgment of the trial court was set aside and the appellant was convicted under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (in short, "the IPC") for committing the murder of the deceased Vimla Bai and sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment for life and to a fine of Rs. 500/-.

(2.) The case of the prosecution in brief is as follows: The deceased Vimla Bai was the wife of Pilaram Sahu (P.W. 3). The appellant Poonam Bai is the daughter of Balaram, P.W. 3's brother, and thus the niece of the deceased. On the date of the incident, i.e. 01.11.2001, around noon, the appellant Poonam Bai came to the house of the deceased when she was alone, quarreled with her, poured kerosene on her body and lit a fire with a match-stick. Vimla Bai sustained burn injuries and succumbed thereto in the hospital. The matter was reported to Police Station Gurur on the same day by Lalita Sahu (P.W. 2, the daughter of the deceased) at about 12.05 p.m.

(3.) The trial court, on evaluation of the material on record, acquitted the appellant of the charges levelled against her. Feeling dissatisfied with the order of the trial court, the State preferred an appeal before the High Court, which vide the impugned judgment, as mentioned above, convicted the appellant under Section 302 of the IPC.