RAVINDERJIT SINGH ALIAS BITTU Vs. STATE OF PUNJAB

JUDGEMENT

(1.) THE appellant challenges his conviction under section 302 IPC, for which he has been sentenced to undergo life imprisonment and to pay fine of Rs. 2000/ -, in default, to undergo further RI for six months.

(2.) CASE of the prosecution is that Kuljit Kaur, deceased was married to the appellant about three years prior to the date of occurrence i.e. 15.7.1997. A son was born out of the marriage, who was about two years old at the time of the occurrence. The accused used to quarrel with the deceased as she used to object to his taking liquor. On 15.7.1997, at 3 PM, the accused was under the influence of liquor and he put kerosene on the body of the deceased and set her on fire and went out of the house. The deceased ran to the bathroom and sat under the tap of water and extinguished the fire. The accused then came alongwith his aunt Gurmit Kaur PW3 and Simranjit Kaur, who removed her to hospital at Rehana Jattan where she was given first aid. She was then taken to a doctor at Phagwara and because of her serious condition, she was then taken to Christian Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana. ASI Bhupinder Singh PW11 reached the hospital on 18.7.1997 and applied to the CJM, Ludhiana for deputing a Judicial Magistrate to record statement of Kuljit Kaur. PW8 Shri Sanjiv Joshi, Judicial Magistrate 1st Class Ludhiana visited the hospital and after satisfying himself about the fitness of Kuljit Kaur to make statement, recorded her statement in presence of Dr. Ajay Abrol PW9. PW11 ASI Bhupinder Singh visited the house of the accused and prepared rough site plan. The accused was arrested on 26.7.1997. Kuljit Kaur died in the hospital on 13.8.1997. PW10 ASI Sawinder Singh reached the hospital and prepared inquest report Ex.PB and sent the dead body for post mortem examination. Dr. Vidhur Bhalla PW1 conducted post mortem examination on the dead body on 14.8.1997 at 9.45 AM. He found as under : -

(3.) THE prosecution examined PW1 Vidhur Bhalla, who conducted post mortem, PW2 Dalip Singh, Draftsman, PW3 Gurmit Kaur, aunt of the accused, who did not support the case of the prosecution, PW4 Bhupinder Singh, father of the deceased, PW5 Dr. Sandip Jiwan Mal, who admitted Kuljit Kaur to the hospital on 16.7.1997, PW6 Dr. Deepak Bhatti of CMC Ludhiana, PW7 CI Ram Kumar, who handed over special report to the Magistrate, PW8 Sanjiv Joshi, Judicial magistrate 1st Class, who was deputed to record the statement of Kuljit Kaur, PW9 Dr. Ajay Abrol, who gave opinion of fitness of Kuljit Kaur to make statement, PW10 ASI Sawinder Singh and PW11 ASI Bhupinder Singh, Investigating officer.