Police decline protection to activist for Sabarimala visit
Kochi: Controversial activist Rehana Fathima has been refused security cover by police to enter the Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala in line with the Kerala government's stand it would not provide protection to women in traditionally barred age group unless they get a court order.
Fathima, in her 30s, had made an attempt to enter the hill shrine in October last year with police protection but was forced to return in the wake of massive protests by devotees.
This year she filed an application and approached the top officials of the police commissionerate on Saturday seeking protection for her to proceed to the hill shrine where women in the 10-50 age group are barred.
Though the Supreme Court had lifted the traditional ban last year, it has recently decided to refer review pleas against its judgement to a larger bench following which the state government has adopted a cautious approach and made it clear Sabarimala was not a place for activism.
The policy of the government on the issue is very clear.
The matter is with the Supreme Court. Since the court itself is reviewing its order permitting entry of women in the age group of 10 and 50 in the shrine, it is not possible for the police to provide protection to her at this stage, an official told PTI here on Sunday.
Police could provide protection if she secured an order from the apex court in this regard, the official said, referring to the state governments stand on the matter.
It had been clearly stated that the state was under no legal compulsion to shield womens rights campaigners who endeavoured to enter Sabarimala, the official added.
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Thane court sentences man to life imprisonment for bludgeoning wife to death
Thane (PTI): A court in Maharashtra's Thane district sentenced a man to life imprisonment for the brutal murder of his wife, whom he attacked 22 times with a hammer in front of his children, based on the testimony of his 13-year-old daughter.
Principal district and sessions judge S B Agrawal found the accused, Vijay Mishra alias Samir Shaikh, guilty under sections 302 (murder) and 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The court sentenced him to life imprisonment and a three-year term to be served concurrently. It also imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh for the murder charge and an additional Rs 10,000 for injuring his minor daughter and mother-in-law, who had tried to intervene during the fatal attack.
Additional public prosecutor Rashmi Kshirsagar informed that 11 prosecution witnesses, including the accused's daughter, were examined during the trial.
According to the prosecution, the victim, Zarin Israr Ansari, had been living with her mother, along with her daughter and a six-year-old son, for two years following prolonged domestic violence and disputes.
The accused, who had converted to Islam to marry Zarin 14 years prior, harboured deep resentment over her living separately and suspected her character.
On the afternoon of September 28, 2023, the accused stormed into his mother-in-law's residence in Mumbra with a hammer concealed in a bag, cornered his wife on the mezzanine floor, dragged her down, locked the main door, and repeatedly bludgeoned her.
The court defended the testimony of the victim's 13-year-old daughter, who was an eyewitness and had sustained injuries herself, noting that minor inconsistencies do not degrade the core truth of an innocent child's account:
"...they are not of any significant consequence since it is not expected from such a witness of 10 years of age to have a total photographic memory to be reproduced before the court. But as far as the incident is concerned, evidence of this witness is totally free from any reasonable doubt."
The prosecution had also stated that the accused had locked his family inside and threatened a neighbour by brandishing a "bomb-like thing" and declaring he would blow up the building if anyone intervened.
The victim's brother eventually broke down the latched door, disarmed the accused, and pinned him down until the police arrived.
The post-mortem report revealed that the victim had suffered 22 brutal injuries and had died due to severe head wounds.
