Kerala court finds husband guilty of killing wife by getting her bitten by snake in 2020
Kollam (Kerala): A Kerala court on Monday convicted a husband for killing his wife by getting her bitten by a venomous snake with an intention to kill her.
The Kollam Additional District and Sessions Court, presided by Justice Manoj M, pronounced its verdict in a one-of-its-kind murder case where the husband threw a starving cobra on his wife while she was asleep to induce her death by snakebite.
The one of its kind murder case was reported on 7th May 2020 when the victim Uthra (25) was found dead at her home from a snakebite. Her family suspected foul play in her death and alleged that Uthra was being repeatedly subjected to harassment from her husband and his family for dowry.
They had further argued that the snake could not have found its way into a closed air-conditioned room, especially when the floor is tiled.
During the course of investigations it was revealed that less than nine weeks before her death, Uthra sustained another near-fatal attack from a viper snake. She was reportedly recovering from the same when she died of another snakebite.
After a thorough investigation into the matter, a 1000 paged chargesheet was filed by the police unearthing the elaborate conspiracy planned and implemented by her husband Sooraj Kumar.
The accused was consequently arrested with another man who helped him procure both the snakes. The handler later turned approver and disclosed that both the snakes were sold for Rs. 10,000 together and that he did not know the purpose behind the purchase.
The accused thereafter confessed to his crime during interrogation and admitted that he had stored two snakes in a jar without feeding them with the intention of killing his wife.
Later on, his father, mother, and sister were also arrested after recovering around 38 sovereigns of Uthra's gold that was found buried in a rubber estate behind their residence.
The prosecution led by Advocate Mohanraj presented strong scientific and circumstantial evidence in the court to support their case and a subsequent postmortem of the snake was also conducted to affirm that t was the one that had attached Uthra.
A renowned snake handler after examining the fang width had thereby testified before the Court that the snakebite found on the deceased's body did not seem natural, and was probably induced.
The scientific evidence submitted before the court was collected with the help of a team comprising herpetologists, forensic experts, veterinary surgeons, and officials from the Forest and Animal Husbandry departments.
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Over 350 illegal religious structures removed along Nepal border
Lucknow, May 11 (PTI): The Uttar Pradesh government on Sunday said that more than 350 unauthorised religious sites, including madrasas, mosques, mazars and Eidgahs, have been identified and subjected to sealing or demolition in recent days, an official statement issued here said.
Acting on Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's clear directive that no religious encroachment will be tolerated, the administration in districts such as Pilibhit, Shravasti, Balrampur, Bahraich, Siddharthnagar and Maharajganj has launched a sweeping campaign, it said.
The authorities have systematically identified illegal structures and taken strict action, continuing operations even on Sunday.
The chief minister has made it clear that encroachment in the name of any religion will not be allowed and all violators, especially those running unrecognised religious institutions, will face legal consequences, the statement said.
On May 10 and 11, 104 madrasas, one mosque, five mazars and two Eidgahs built illegally on public and private land were identified in Shravasti. All were issued notices and sealed, it said.
One illegal madrasa on public land was demolished and two unrecognized madrasas on private land were sealed, the statement added.
In Bahraich, officials identified 13 madrasas, eight mosques, two mazars and one Eidgah illegally constructed on government land.
After issuing notices, five were sealed and 11 were demolished, including eight madrasas, two mosques and one mazar, the statement said.
In Siddharthnagar, the authorities identified four mosques and 18 madrasas and one more madrasa for illegal construction. Notices were issued to these structures. Five madrasas were sealed and nine were demolished. In total, action was taken against 23 illegal structures in the district, it said.
In Maharajganj’s Nautanwa tehsil, Parsamalik village, an unrecognized madrasa operating on Maktab land was shut down based on a report submitted by the District Minority Welfare Officer.
The building’s keys were handed over to the local police station in-charge. So far, 29 madrasas and five mazars constructed through encroachment on public and private land have been demolished in the district.
In past two days in Lakhimpur Kheri, two mosques, one Eidgah on public land along with eight madrasas on private land were found to be illegally constructed.
Of the 13 structures identified, one was served a notice, nine were sealed and three have been demolished so far, the statement said.
The district authorities in Pilibhit have identified an illegal mosque built on public land in Bharatpur village, covering an area of 0.0310 hectares.
According to the district magistrate, a notice has been issued to the parties involved, seeking a response within 15 days. Action against the illegal construction will be taken after the notice period ends, it said.
On Sunday, an under-construction madrasa on public land in Virpur Semra village, Tulsipur tehsil, was demolished in Balrampur. So far, 30 madrasas, 10 mazars and one Eidgah have been demolished in the district.
Ten of them were built illegally on public land, while 20 were constructed without authorization on private land, the statement said.
