JAIPUR: A Tonk special court dealing with cases under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act has sentenced four members of a family to life imprisonment for the murder of 25-year-old Suman, who was allegedly killed after she insisted that her partner, Pradhan, marry her despite their caste differences. Pradhan was Suman’s partner, while the other three convicts — Sanjana Devi, Sawai Ram and Sushila — were his mother, brother and sister, respectively, according to the prosecution.The judgment was pronounced on Wednesday by Special Judge, SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, Tonk, Arti Maheshwari. The court convicted the four under various provisions of the IPC and the SC/ST Act, including Section 302/120-B for murder pursuant to criminal conspiracy.Special Public Prosecutor Meghraj Jat told TOI on Thursday that the prosecution examined 25 witnesses and produced 37 documents before the court to establish the case.According to the prosecution, Suman had been living in Jaipur for around one-and-a-half years in rented accommodation in Vaishali Nagar. She was allegedly in a relationship with Pradhan, a resident of Shikarpura. The prosecution’s case was that Suman wanted to marry him, but the accused allegedly opposed the marriage because of their caste difference and subsequently conspired to eliminate her.The prosecution alleged that on September 11, 2022, Pradhan and Suman went to Gum Nagar. Three days later, Pradhan allegedly informed the complainant that Suman had been bitten by a snake and was admitted to a hospital in Ajmer. The prosecution, however, alleged that she had actually been administered poisonous pesticide.Suman subsequently died and, according to the prosecution, her body was taken home and cremated. The allegations led to the registration of a case at Peeplu police station and a subsequent investigation, after which a chargesheet was filed against the four accused.The court convicted the accused under Sections 302/120-B, 201/120-B, 203/120-B and 379/120-B of the IPC, besides Sections 3(2)(v) and 3(2)(va) of the SC/ST Act.For murder under Section 302/120-B, the court awarded each accused life imprisonment and a fine of Rs 50,000, with six months’ simple imprisonment in default. A further life sentence and a fine of Rs 50,000 was imposed under Section 3(2)(v) of the SC/ST Act.The court also awarded additional sentences under the other sections.
