DHANANJAY VINAYAKRAO KULKARNI Vs. STATE OF MAHARASHTRA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) THE appellant is convicted of offence punishable under sections 498-A and 306 of the Indian Penal Code by the learned Sessions Judge, Aurangabad, in Sessions Case No. 166 of 1990. Hence, this appeal against the conviction and sentence.

(2.) THE case of the prosecution is as follows: Vijaya was married with the accused Dhananjay about 17 years prior to 15-6-1989. She had one daughter of 13 years of age and a son of 11 years of age. She was working as a teacher in school. Dhananjay, the accused, was working as a driver in one company at Aurangabad. Dhananjay was addicted to liquor and he used to beat Vijaya when she refused to give him money to purchase liquor.

(3.) ON 14-6-1989 at about 5 a. m. a quarrel took place between Vijaya and accused Dhananjay and he beat her. Being fed up with this usual ill treatment, Vijaya poured kerosene on her person from the stove and set her ablaze. Nobody came to rescue her. She did not raise hue and cry. So, the children also did not wake up. Then she poured water on her person from the bucket, wrapped a chaddar around herself and rolled on the mattress to put off the fire. Then, Yogesh, her son, ran to her mothers house and called her. Her mother then took her to the Government Medical College Hospital at Aurangabad.