Bombay HC retains life alive for man who killed lover at Hotel Navi Mumbai over ‘infidelity’ | News from Mumbai

By Linda Barrett Last updated Jul 7, 2022

Bombay High Court. (file image)

MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court has upheld the conviction and life sentence awarded to a man who murdered his girlfriend at a hotel in Navi Mumbai in 2008 on suspicion of infidelity. He later attempted suicide.
“It is a gruesome murder of a girl by her boyfriend,” said Justices Prasanna Varale and Shrikant Kulkarni in the June 15 verdict released Wednesday. They dismissed Sumit Giri’s appeal against the May 2, 2012 decision of the Thane Session Court, which sentenced him to life imprisonment.
According to prosecutors, on 20 May 2008 the police received a call from a hotel in Rabale, stating that there was no answer from a room where Giri and his girlfriend, then aged 30 and 20, were staying . They forced opened the door and found both injured.
In a journal, Giri claimed responsibility for her death and mentioned that she had been cheating on him for the past five years. They were taken to a hospital, but the girl was pronounced dead on arrival.
Giri’s lawyer, Ashish Raghuvanshi, argued that the case was circumstantial. He said they wanted to get married and there was no reason to murder her. Prosecutor Prajakta Shinde said prosecutors had established the chain of circumstances that led to the murder. She said Giri suspected her of infidelity. The murder was planned and he had a gun.
The judges said the evidence presented by the prosecution was “clear and unambiguous” and not flawed, even if there was no satisfactory evidence proving the motive for the murder. Her parents’ evidence showed nowhere that she had another boyfriend. “Nineteen external injuries were noted on the deceased victim, clearly indicating how the complainant had planned to eliminate her,” they noted.
The judges said “the circumstances clearly indicate the applicant’s guilt and contradict his innocence.” They also noted that Giri attempted suicide after the crime. “The experienced judge for additional sessions correctly sentenced the applicant under sections 302 (penalty for murder) and 309 (attempted suicide),” they concluded.