CHANDRAKANT VITTHAL CHOUGULE Vs. STATE OF MAHARASHTRA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) By this Criminal Appeal, the appellant Chandrakant Vitthal Chougule (hereinafter referred to as the "accused") impugns a judgment and order dated 10.7.2007 passed by the Additional Sessions Judge, Ichalkaranji in Sessions Case No.6/2007. By the impugned judgment and order the accused has been convicted for an offence punishable under Section 306 of IPC and he has been sentenced to suffer rigorous imprisonment for six years and to pay a fine of Rs.1000/-, in default to suffer rigorous imprisonment for 15 days. The said accused has also been convicted for the offence punishable under Section 498-A of IPC and on this count, he has been sentenced to suffer rigorous imprisonment for one year and to pay a fine of Rs.500/- in default to suffer rigorous imprisonment for seven days. His mother accused no.2 Shantabai was however, acquitted of all charges.

(2.) The brief facts of the prosecution case are as under :-

(3.) In due course the matter was committed to the Court of Sessions for trial. In order to prove its case the prosecution examined as many as six witnesses, a reference to most of them has been made above. The defence of the accused was of total denial. It was suggested on behalf of the defence that the death could have been caused by an accident. No defence evidence was led in the matter. In the circumstances, on the basis of the evidence adduced by the prosecution and the 313 statements of the accused, the trial Court passed the impugned judgment and order, convicting and sentencing accused as hereinabove.