MP HC upholds life term of ex-chemistry professor for murdering her doctor husband by electrocution
Jabalpur, July 30 (PTI): The Madhya Pradesh High Court has upheld the life imprisonment of former chemistry professor Mamta Pathak, who had argued her case using scientific knowledge, for murdering her doctor husband by electrocution in Chhatarpur district in 2021.
A division bench of Justices Vivek Agarwal and Devnarayan Mishra on Tuesday upheld the life imprisonment handed down by the Chhatarpur court.
Mamta's husband, Dr. Neeraj Pathak, died on April 29, 2021, at his house in Loknathpuram Colony with electric burn marks detected on his body.
He was posted in the Chhatarpur District Hospital.
The HC said the entire chain of circumstances indicates that the wife first made the husband unconscious by giving him sedatives and later killed him by electrocution.
The division bench, while cancelling the temporary suspension of the sentence earlier, directed the accused to immediately surrender in the trial court to serve the remainder of the imprisonment.
In April this year, the high court reserved its verdict after hearing the arguments of all the parties.
The prosecution said Mamta Pathak had come to live with her husband only 10 months before his death and was present in the house at the time of the incident.
According to the HC, no other person came from outside on the day of the incident, the prosecution said.
The relationship between the couple was strained as she would often argue about her husband's affair with a woman.
Before noon on the day of the incident, Dr Neeraj called one of his relatives, claiming that his wife was torturing him, not giving him food and kept him locked inside the bathroom. He also talked about the head injury.
After this, the relative contacted the police and the doctor was rescued from the bathroom.
The relative gave the recording of this conversation to the police and also recorded a statement in court.
A court in Chhatarpur convicted Mamta Pathak based on the circumstantial evidence and sentenced her to life imprisonment. But she filed an appeal in the high court against the verdict.
While presenting her case in the high court in April this year, the former chemistry professor argued that the cause of the death in the post-mortem report was stated to be electric shock.
The burn marks found on the body of the deceased were of both types - electric and thermal, but their technical investigation was not done, she told the court.
Safety equipment like MCB and RCCB were installed in the house, due to which death due to a short circuit or current was not possible. Despite this, neither the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team nor any electrical expert was sent to the house to investigate, she argued in the court.
During the initial hearing, she argued the case on her own, but later he lawyers presented her side in the court.
In its 97-page order, the division bench upheld her life imprisonment, saying the entire chain of circumstantial evidence was interconnected.
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Karnataka govt directs municipal corps to regulate, prohibit pigeon feeding
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka government has issued directions to municipal corporations across the state to regulate and prohibit feeding pigeons in public places, citing serious public health concerns.
Deputy Secretary to Government V Lakshmikanth has written to the Urban Development Department requesting it to issue directions to the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) and all municipal corporations to take immediate steps to implement the measures.
In an official note dated December 16 issued by the Health and Family Welfare Department and released to the media on Wednesday, the department said uncontrolled feeding of pigeons in public places has resulted in large congregations of birds, excessive droppings and serious health concerns, particularly respiratory illnesses linked to prolonged exposure to pigeon droppings and feathers such as hypersensitivity pneumonitis and other lung diseases.
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"The commissioner, the Greater Bengaluru Authority and the Commissioners and chief officers of other municipal corporations shall take necessary action to mitigate the causes of dangerous disease spread by pigeon and enforce specified guidelines in their respective jurisdiction," the note said.
According to the department, these include a prohibition on feeding pigeons or causing pigeons to be fed in areas where it may cause nuisance or pose a health hazard to the public. Pigeon feeding shall be permitted only in designated areas in a controlled manner, subject to certain conditions.
"The designated areas may be selected in consultation with stakeholders. The responsibility for upkeep of the designated areas and compliance to the directions shall be taken up by some charitable organisation or an NGO. The feeding in designated areas shall be permitted only for some limited hours in the day," it said.
The note further stated that authorised officers of local authorities shall issue on-the-spot warnings and may impose fines for violation of the order, or lodge complaints to prosecute offenders under Sections 271 (Negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 272 (Malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
It also directed local authorities to conduct public awareness campaigns, including the display of signboards, banners and digital messages, explaining the health hazards associated with pigeon droppings and feathers, the content of the regulatory directions and penalties for violations, and alternative humane methods of bird conservation that do not endanger public health.
