PANJIM: The District and Sessions Court has sentenced Prakash Gawas, Anand Gawas, Anandi Gawas and Jayanti Gawas to life imprisonment in a dowry death of June 2011.
Principal Sessions Judge B P Deshpande found them guilty under Sections 498-A (dowry harassment and domestic violence), 302 (murder), 304-B (dowry death) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.
They have also been fined and amount once paid, Rs one lakh shall be deposited in the name of deceased victim Pramila’s minor son as compensation. The amount should be released to him once he attains majority age.
The court, while passing the verdict, observed that Pramila was set alight after continuous harassment for dowry ever since her marriage to Prakash in 2006.
In her dying declaration, she had stated that her husband and in-laws set her on fire. She succumbed to 95 percent burn injuries.
The court observed, “The offence committed is really serious since the wife was put on fire after she was repeatedly harassed on one or the other pretext in her matrimonial house by the accused. Even at the time of the alleged incident, no help was given to the deceased which is clear from the evidence on record. This shows the mindset of the accused persons who deserve no leniency. Time and again it has been observed that dowry death should be dealt with seriously.”
