SRINAGAR, NOV 18: A court in Budgam on Saturday convicted a man of murdering his wife in the central Kashmir district in 2011.
The court of Additional Sessions Judge (fast track), Budgam, Aijaz Ahmad Khan, held Mushtaq Ahmad Pandith alias Bilal guilty of murdering his wife, Sameera Jan, on 1 May 2011 in their matrimonial house in Kralpora area of the district.
According to the prosecution, Sameera Jan was found dead in her husband’s house on May 1, 2011, with a knife stabbed into her back. Her husband absconded soon after the crime.
He was found to have fled to Delhi after the crime and then moved to Jammu where he was arrested on May 13, 2011.
“There is no doubt that the accused (Mushtaq) and deceased (Sameera) were last seen together as stated by PW(prosecution witness)-19 also, PW-1 and the accused in their statements have also stated that the accused and deceased were seen together going to their house in the evening of 1st of May 2011 when deceased had gone to attend the marriage function of one of the cousins of the deceased,” the court said, adding, “Accused in his statement of accusation has stated that on the day he was at his workplace and all the witnesses produced by prosecution have given wrong statement and deceased has committed suicide.”
These facts, the court said, have not been put forth by the accused by evidence in defence.
“Even though an opportunity was provided to the accused (Mushtaq), who has taken the defence of not being present on the spot on the day of occurrence has not been able to provide any circumstance to show that the accused was not present on the spot on the fateful day,” the court said in 90-page verdict. The court is likely to announce the quantum of the sentence next week.
