Elderly Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Wife's Murder in Thane

Thane, Jun 23 (PTI) – A court in Thane district, Maharashtra, has sentenced a 71-year-old man to life in rigorous imprisonment for the murder of his bedridden wife, declaring the act as "deliberate and calculated." Additional Sessions Judge V L Bhosale found Shobhnath Rajeshwar Shukla guilty under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code for murdering his wife, Sharada. The order from June 12 became available on Monday. The court imposed a life sentence along with a Rs 50,000 fine on Shukla. The judge refused any leniency, noting the "calculated nature of murder" and "complete exploitation of the victim's vulnerability," asserting that "mercy cannot be extended at the cost of justice." Sharada died in their home in Thane's Wagle Estate on November 8, 2019. Following her death, one son noticed suspicious marks on her neck at the Civil Hospital, leading to a police complaint. The post-mortem confirmed death by asphyxia. Additional Public Prosecutor R P Patil highlighted the couple's strained relationship. Sharada, a widow with three sons from her first marriage, had married Shobhnath, a widower. Conflict arose over a room built from her first husband's property sale, with Sharada wanting to transfer her share to her youngest son, while Shobhnath wished it for his son, Ashok. Post a fall in June 2019, Sharada became bedridden, reliant on Shobhnath. Witness testimonies, including those from her sons Vishal and Amol Yadav, revealed Shobhnath's complaints about caregiving and threats to her life. Defence counsel Sandeep Yewale suggested suicide, citing conflicting testimonies and lack of conclusive medical evidence regarding hanging or strangulation. Nonetheless, the court ruled out suicide due to Sharada's condition, where self-strangulation was physically impossible. The judge, in convicting Shobhnath, emphasized his threats, the property dispute, his caregiver frustration, and suspicious post-incident behavior, including attempting to disguise the ligature mark as a "mangalsutra mark".

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