In Brief
Anil Kumar was convicted of murdering his wife under Section 302 IPC after pouring kerosene on her during a heated quarrel over dowry demands. The wife, to deter further assault, poured kerosene on herself; he then set her ablaze. The Supreme Court upheld the conviction, rejecting his plea that Exception 4 to Section 300 IPC applied. Although the act lacked premeditation, the appellant deliberately took undue advantage of the deceased's vulnerable situation—the exception requires both absence of premeditation AND absence of undue advantage. Multiple dying declarations, eyewitness accounts, and medical evidence of 96% burns established his murderous intent. The appeal was dismissed; life imprisonment sentence upheld."
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