The Third Additional District and Sessions Court in Kalaburagi, on Tuesday, sentenced Sharanappa Bhajantri, a resident of Aurad (B) village in Kalaburagi district, to life imprisonment for murdering his wife on the suspicion that she had an extra-marital relationship.
As per details provided by Public Prosecutor Gurulingappa Sreemanth Teli, Bhajantri and the victim, Sharanamma, had fallen in love with each other and married in 2016. However, after a few years of marriage, Bhanjantri began suspecting his wife of having an extra-marital relationship.
“On January 2, 2020, Bhajantri had, as usual, gone for grazing cattle in faraway fields. His wife called him and asked from him some money and he asked her to come to the field and collect it. When she showed up, he murdered her by dropping a heavy stone block on her head. A case was filed in the Kalaburagi Rural Police Station. There were two eyewitnesses who saw the couple in the field before the murder,” Mr. Teli said.
Circle Inspector of Police Somalinga Kiredalli investigated the case and filed a charge-sheet against Bhajantri.
Third Additional District and Sessions Judge Chandrashekhar Karoshi, who heard both sides, found Bhajantri guilty of murdering his wife on Monday. He pronounced the judgment on Tuesday.
Apart from pronouncing life imprisonment, the court imposed a fine of Rs.20,000 on the accused. The judge ordered that Rs.15,000 of the penalty amount be paid to the complainant, the mother of the victim.
The judge also asked the complainant to approach the District Legal Services Authority for more compensation for rearing the two minor daughters of the victim.
