Thane, Aug 17: A Sessions Court here on Monday convicted a 38-year-old man of murdering his wife by setting her ablaze after a trivial domestic quarrel in May 2015 and sentenced him to life imprisonment, a court order showed. The judge also imposed a fine of ₹1,000 on the accused, identified in court records as Subhash Waghmare.
Court accepts second dying declaration
The prosecution produced ten witnesses to establish the charge under Section 302 (punishment for murder) of the Indian Penal Code. The incident occurred on May 9, 2015, at the couple’s rented home in Ghodbunder village in Thane, the charge-sheet and court record state.
- According to prosecution documents, the dispute began when Waghmare asked his wife, Vaishali, to massage his legs and she asked him to wait until she finished washing utensils.
- When she delayed, the accused allegedly slapped her multiple times. Later that night he poured kerosene on her and set her on fire.
- Vaishali succumbed to her injuries at Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Hospital on May 13, 2015.
The defence argued that the death was a suicide, pointing to an initial statement made by the victim on May 10, 2015, recorded as a dying declaration. However, a subsequent declaration recorded on May 11 by a Special Executive Officer and police personnel was materially different, the court noted.
"The explanation offered by Vaishali in her second dying declaration seems to be truthful and trustworthy ... I do not find the first dying declaration, dated 10.05.2015, to be truthful and reliable. Hence the theory of defence that death of Vaishali was suicidal is also ruled out,"
The passage above is taken from the written observations of Sessions Court Judge R. D. Sawant, who evaluated the two competing statements and found the second declaration credible because the accused had been present in hospital when the first was recorded, creating a plausible reason for the victim to withhold the truth initially, the judgment said.
Evidence and judgement
Evaluating the testimony and documentary evidence, the court held that the prosecution had proved the charge of murder beyond reasonable doubt. The conviction was handed down after consideration of the two different dying declarations and the testimony of the witnesses produced in court.
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Incident at rented house, Ghodbunder village | 9 May 2015 |
| First dying declaration (initial) | 10 May 2015 |
| Second dying declaration (revised) | 11 May 2015 |
| Victim died at hospital | 13 May 2015 |
| Conviction and sentence | 17 Aug 2026 |
The judgement emphasised that the presence of the accused in the hospital on the date the first statement was recorded explained why the victim might have given a false account initially out of fear. By contrast, the later declaration — recorded in the absence of the husband and before competent officials — was treated as candid and reliable, the court said.
The sentence brings to a close an eleven-year legal and investigative process in a case that drew attention locally because of the brutality alleged and the prolonged gap between the crime and the conviction. The fine of ₹1,000 was levied in addition to the life term under the murder charge.
Local residents near Ghodbunder village recalled the case as one that exposed the dangers of domestic violence in close-knit neighbourhoods. The court record, prosecution witnesses and the two recorded dying declarations formed the core basis for the ruling, according to the judgement made available in court.
The case was reported to police and tried in Thane Sessions Court, which delivered the verdict on Monday, according to the official court order and PTI reporting.
