The Additional District and Sessions Court in Rayagada on Thursday sentenced a man to life imprisonment for the gruesome murder of his wife using an axe.
The court also imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 on the convict.
The incident dates back to February 6, 2024, under the Kashipur police station’s jurisdiction. The convict, identified as Gurunath Gouda, brutally hacked his wife, Pushpa Gouda, to death with an axe following a heated altercation.
Delivering the final judgment under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Additional District and Sessions Judge Alpana Swain convicted Gurunath Gouda based on crucial forensic evidence and statements from 14 key witnesses. The verdict specified that failure to pay the ₹20,000 penalty would result in an additional six months of rigorous imprisonment.
Following the 2024 incident, Kashipur Police registered a case (Case No. 30/24) and arrested Gurunath. The trial was initially initiated at the Kashipur JMFC Court before being transferred to the Rayagada ADJ Court for final proceedings. Additional Public Prosecutor (APP) Rajat Ranjan Khatua, along with associate lawyer S.N. Pradhan, represented the prosecution during the trial.
