Kanpur: A local court on Monday convicted a Kanpur man for murdering his wife from Fatehpur and sentenced him to life imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 11,000 after holding that the prosecution established a complete chain of circumstantial evidence, including the accused’s presence at the house, forensic bloodstain evidence and the recovery of the murder weapon.Pronouncing the verdict, additional sessions judge Sapana Tripathi also directed that the convict, Vinay Kumar Singh Rathore, would have to undergo an additional one-year simple imprisonment if he failed to pay the fine.During arguments on the quantum of sentence, the defence counsel pleaded for leniency, stating that the accused had no criminal history and was the father of an 18-year-old daughter, who had no one else to look after her. The prosecution, however, argued that the accused had murdered his life partner and deserved severe punishment.According to assistant district govt counsel (ADGC) Pradeep Kumar Sahu, the prosecution had charged Vinay with murder and under the Arms Act for carrying a sharp-edged weapon.The ADGC said the complainant, Chandrika Singh, father of the deceased, had lodged an FIR against Vinay on Aug 6, 2013. He alleged that he had married his daughter Sandhya Devi to Vinay in 2009 and that his son-in-law used to assault her while under the influence of alcohol.According to the complaint, in 2010-11, Sandhya consumed dye after being unable to bear the repeated assaults. Her father got her admitted to a hospital, where she was treated. Sandhya frequently complained that Vinay used to beat her.On the night of Aug 6, 2013, Vinay allegedly informed Chandrika that someone had killed Sandhya by slitting her throat. When Chandrika reached the house, he found Vinay in an inebriated condition.Police registered the case on Aug 7, 2013, and recovered the knife from the house on the accused’s disclosure. During the trial, the prosecution examined 14 witnesses, while the defence produced three witnesses.
