Telangana: Man, sister awarded death for patricide

Siddhardha Gattimi

Updated on: 09 Jun 2026, 6:11 am

HYDERABAD: In a rare instance of a woman being awarded capital punishment, a Medchal-Malkajgiri district court on Monday sentenced a brother and sister to death for murdering their father, dismembering his body and concealing the remains in plastic buckets. Their mother was sentenced to life imprisonment for her role in the conspiracy and cover-up. The court held that the crime fell within the “rarest of rare” category.

Representative image 

Medchal-Malkajgiri principal district and sessions judge V Bala Bhaskar Rao pronounced the sentence. The convicts were identified as 47-year-old Kishan Suthar alias Rahul (A1), his 65-year-old mother Ganga Bai (A2), and his 36-year-old sister Prapulla alias Pappi (A3). According to the prosecution, the accused conspired to murder Maruthi Suthar, a retired Railway employee. Evidence presented during the trial showed that they were financially dependent on the deceased, who was receiving a pension after retirement.

The court found that the accused had administered poisonous datura alkaloids to the victim, resulting in his death. During the trial, it emerged that they had been mixing datura extract into his food for several days to test its effects. To conceal the crime, they dismembered the body and stored the remains in six plastic buckets inside their residence.

The crime came to light after neighbours noticed a foul smell from the house and alerted authorities. Police recovered the body parts and gathered forensic and circumstantial evidence linking the accused to the offence. After examining aggravating and mitigating circumstances, the court concluded that Kishan Suthar and Prapulla deserved the maximum punishment under law. They were sentenced to death and fined Rs 10,000 each for the murder.

Considering her age and other mitigating factors, the court sentenced Ganga Bai to rigorous imprisonment for life and imposed a fine of `10,000. All three convicts were also awarded additional prison terms for criminal conspiracy and destruction of evidence, with the sentences directed to run concurrently.

Source: https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/telangana/2026/Jun/09/telangana-man-sister-awarded-death-for-patricide

Gujrat - ‘Habitual’ acid attacker gets death for Surat man’s murder while on parole

In 2000, Bechar Kakadiya was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Surat district court for an acid attack on his brother-in-law Shantilal Patel, causing his death. In 2004, when he was out on parole, he attacked his wife and another brother-in-law, Dhansukh Patel, in a similar manner.

By: Express News Service

Surat Updated: Jun 5, 2026 09:02 AM IST

Previously convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment for it, a 55-year-old man was on Thursday awarded the death penalty for the murder of a 23-year-old man, who was attacked with concentrated acid and then hacked to death, over a financial dispute, police officials said.

The judgment was given by the Surat district additional sessions court judge J L Shrimali.

In 2000, Bechar Kakadiya, a resident of Mota Varachha in Surat, was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Surat district court for an acid attack on his brother-in-law Shantilal Patel, causing his death. In 2004, when he was out on parole, he attacked his wife and another brother-in-law, Dhansukh Patel, in a similar manner, severely injuring them. Both of them survived an acid attack. He was then arrested by Katargam police. After the case trial, he was convicted for three years. Sources in the department said Kakadiya’s mercy petition in 2010 was accepted, and he was released in 2013 after spending ten years in the Surat jail.

Bechar Kakadiya

Sometime later, Kakadiya invested Rs 15 lakh in a business partnership with another former fellow jail inmate Kirti Doshi. The dispute between them arose when Kakadiya wanted to withdraw his investment. Pandesara police officials said Kakadiya then met Yash Doshi (23) in Pandesara GIDC, and had a heated exchange with him. He attacked Yash with acid, and when the latter tried to escape, Kakadiya chased him and inflicted repeated blows on him with a sharp weapon (cutter). The incident reportedly took place on March 28, 2019.

A complaint in connection with the murder was registered at the Pandesara police station. Kakadiya was booked under IPC sections 302 (Murder) and 326 (a, b) (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by acid), and arrested the next day. Since then, Kakadiya has remained in judicial custody at the Surat Central Jail in Lajpore. The police charge sheet was filed with 60 pieces of documentary evidence and 54 witnesses, of whom 33 testified.

While Kakadiya was convicted last month on May 30, the punishment was announced on Thursday. Assistant public prosecutor Tejash Pancholi had sought capital punishment. Pancholi, in his arguments, stated that Kakadiya was a “habitual” offender of acid attack. The Thursday order stated: “Convict Becharbhai Kakadiya is punished with capital punishment (to be hanged till death) under IPC 302, and a fine of Rs. 50,000. Under IPC 326(A), he is punished with life imprisonment.” In the order, the court observed: “It is found that the accused has committed a serious and anti-social crime, and keeping in mind all the aspects so that such anti-social crimes are not repeated, and that there is no possibility of his improvement, the accused should be appropriately punished.

Considering the above facts on record, the criminal behaviour of the accused and the fact that the present crime has been committed by the accused himself. It is found in the interest of justice to punish the accused as appropriate, reasonable, and fair as prescribed in the law.” Talking to The Indian Express, the additional public prosecutor said, “Seeing [Kakadiya’s] behaviour and his history of acid attacks on three persons…the accused is a threat to society. We had requested the court to punish him with capital punishment by hanging.”

Defence counsel K B Bakshi did not respond to multiple calls.

Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/legal-news/surat-court-death-penalty-bechar-kakadiya-habitual-acid-attacker-murder-10724841/

Uttar Pradesh - Man gets death penalty for murdering wife, two minor daughters in 2023

Lucknow (UP), Jun 3 (PTI): A court in Mahoba district has awarded the death penalty to a man convicted of murdering his wife and two minor daughters nearly three years ago, officials said on Wednesda.

By PTI : 04 Jun 2026 12:16 AM (IST)

According to the prosecution, the convict Devendra Vishwakarma, a resident of Samadnagar under Kotwali Nagar police station limits in Mahoba, killed his wife Ramkumari and their two daughters -- six-year-old Sonakshi and nine-year-old Ayushi -- by crushing their heads with a grinding stone on July 17, 2023. As per available information, Vishwakarma and his wife used to quarrel frequently over domestic disputes. On the day of the incident, the two again got into an argument, and in a fit of rage, Vishwakarma killed his wife and daughters.

As per a press statement, the case was registered at Kotwali Nagar police station. Police completed the investigation and filed a charge sheet before the court on August 24, 2023. Officials said the case was monitored under the Uttar Pradesh Police's Operation Conviction campaign.

Following sustained efforts by the monitoring cell and the prosecution, the court on June 3 found Vishwakarma guilty and sentenced him to death. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on the convict. The prosecution was conducted by District Government Counsel Dinesh Kumar Singh and Assistant Government Counsel Surendra Rajput. Case investigator Inspector Upendra Pratap Singh and court liaison officer M.A. Prem Babu Dwivedi also played key roles in securing the conviction, officials said.

Source: https://news.abplive.com/news/india/man-gets-death-penalty-for-murdering-wife-two-minor-daughters-in-2023-1847996

Uttar Pradesh - 50-year-old man gets death penalty in 15-year-old double-murder case in Muzaffarnagar

PTI 

30 May, 2026 06:49 pm IST

Muzaffarnagar (UP), May 30 (PTI) A fast-track court here has awarded death penalty to a 50-year-old man for killing a woman and her six-year-old son in a case dating back nearly 15 years.

Additional District and Sessions Judge of the fast-track court, Ravi Kumar Diwakar, sentenced Rahis alias Zahid to death after convicting him for murder. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 5 lakh on the convict. The judge observed that the case fell in the “rarest of rare” category, warranting capital punishment.

The sentence, however, will be subject to confirmation by the Allahabad High Court. Government counsel Kuldeep Kumar said the victims, Rajesh Devi (30) and her son Himanshu, were murdered at Alawalpur village under the Charthawal police station area of Mazaffarnagar district on November 7, 2011.

According to the prosecution, Rahis took Rajesh Devi and the child to a nearby sugarcane field and killed them by repeatedly hitting them with bricks after an argument. The bodies were found on November 13. The court pronounced its verdict on Friday. 

Source: https://theprint.in/india/50-year-old-man-gets-death-penalty-in-15-year-old-double-murder-case-in-muzaffarnagar/2946073/

Supreme Court acquits two death row convicts (Uttarakhand) in rape-murder case

Express News Service

Updated on: 29 May 2026, 4:14 am

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has acquitted two men sentenced to death by the Uttarakhand trial court and High Court for the alleged rape and murder of a 55-year-old woman in Uttarakhand on the grounds that the prosecution failed to establish a complete and reliable chain of circumstances connecting them with the crime.

“The FSL (Forensic Science Laboratory) report merely records the presence of semen traces in the vaginal swab collected during the postmortem examination and does not, in the absence of any corroborative material, establish the appellants’ (Convicts) complicity in the alleged offence,” said a three-judge Bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and Vijay Bishnoi.

Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and Vijay Bishnoi

Setting aside the judgments of the trial court and the HC, the SC said: “No DNA examination or scientific profiling was undertaken to establish the identity of the source of semen or to connect the same with either of the appellants”.

The court said the prosecution also failed to lead any evidence regarding the probable age or duration of the semen traces detected in the vaginal swab. “In the absence of such scientific evidence, no definite inference could be drawn that the deceased-victim had been subjected to the appeals filed by the murder convicts,” it said.

The judgment stated the prosecution’s case was marred by serious infirmities as regards DNA examination or scientific profiling linking the biological evidence with the accused persons.

The prosecution in the trial court and HC sought to establish the guilt primarily through two circumstances, the “last seen” theory and alleged recoveries made during the investigation. The top court eventually discarded these versions and acquitted the two accused.

Source: https://www.newindianexpress.com/india/2026/May/29/sc-acquits-two-death-row-convicts-in-rape-murder-case

Uttar Pradesh - Man Receives Death Penalty for Family Murders

Devdiscourse News Desk | Kushinagar | India

Updated: 29-05-2026 23:14 IST | Created: 29-05-2026 23:14 IST

Rajesh Gupta has been sentenced to death by an Uttar Pradesh court for the 2021 murders of his wife and two young sons. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 3 lakh on Gupta, who allegedly killed his family by slitting their throats.

Rajesh Gupta

An Uttar Pradesh court handed down a death sentence to Rajesh Gupta for the brutal murder of his wife Nikki and their two sons in 2021. The verdict includes a fine of Rs 3 lakh, as announced by District and Sessions Judge Sanjeev Kumar Tyagi. 

According to District Government Advocates G P Yadav and Laxman Pathak, Gupta is to face execution by hanging. The tragic events unfolded when Nikki's brother, Amar Gupta, reported to the Turkapatti police station that his sister and her children, Shivam (7) and Ayush (3), were killed by their father. The gruesome act occurred at their residence with both a sickle and a knife, which were recovered by authorities. Nikki was married to Rajesh Gupta for eight years.

(With inputs from agencies.)

Source: https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/law-order/3926444-man-receives-death-penalty-for-family-murders-in-uttar-pradesh?amp

Tamil Nadu: Man Gets Death Penalty For Sexual Assault, Murder Of Minor

Reported by:J Sam Daniel Stalin

India News - May 25, 2026 16:29 pm IST

The POCSO Special Court convicted Dharma Muneeswaran and sentenced him to death by hanging on both counts of sexual assault and murder, 77 days after the crime.

Tutucorin: A POCSO court in Thoothukudi district of Tamil Nadu on Monday awarded a double death sentence to the key accused in the Tuticorin sexual assault and murder case, 77 days after the crime.

Dharma Muneeswaran

The victim, a 17-year-old Class 12 student in Vilathikulam who was reported missing, was found dead in a scrubland near her house in March this year. The POCSO Special Court convicted Dharma Muneeswaran and sentenced him to death by hanging on both counts of sexual assault and murder of the minor. With no CCTV cameras near the scene of crime, 10 special teams analysed 98 CCTV footages in other locations and examined 2,574 phone numbers using the tower dump method. The breakthrough came from a windmill camera that captured a suspicious two-wheeler near the crime scene. The bike's registration number had been tampered with, and the bike was found to be stolen.

Ellammal, Special Public Prosecutor - Mahila Court, Thoothukudi said "We were able to get a fair judgment in a short period of time because everybody who worked on this case was very responsible, and we all wanted to make sure that this should not happen to anybody else ever again". The order came on a day Chief Minister Joseph Vijay urged the police and authorities to expedite trials in sexual and offences against children and obtain stringent punishment through proper trial. Vijay had made women safety and law and order a key campaign issue during his campaign before elections. His meeting comes amid a spurt in sexual offences in the state, including the sexual assault and murder of a 10-year-old girl in Coimbatore, with the opposition targeting the TVK government.

(With inputs from Swarnamathi A)

Source: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/man-gets-death-penalty-for-sexual-assault-murder-of-minor-in-tamil-nadu-11544711