Every tenth murder appeal is from husband as the convicted accused: Delhi High Court

A Delhi High Court bench comprising of Justice Pradeep Nandrajog and Justice Mukta Gupta upheld life imprisonment for a man, convicted in July this year, for murdering his wife with a phawra, in a room taken on rent by the appellant's brother.

While upholding the conviction, the Bench observed that "married women in India are safer on the street than in their matrimonial homes."

The Judgment stated, "It is trite that where a wife is murdered in her matrimonial house and the presence of the husband is established, law casts an obligation on the husband to explain how his wife died and if he does not do so an adverse inference can be drawn against the husband of being the assailant. More so in India, for the reason we find that the every tenth murder appeal we are hearing has the husband before us as the convicted accused."

"The victim is the wife. The place of the crime is the matrimonial house. The other nine out of ten murder appeals which we are dealing with has the place of the crime outside the house and the victim is a male", the Bench added.

The fact that the appellant absconded from the place of crime was a clear proof of his guilt, according to the Court.

The Bench observed that the appellant's brother and the brother's wife were clearly trying to save the appellant, because he was taking care of his three daughters.