In Brief
A woman (Devaki) died from severe burn injuries in her matrimonial home 17 months after marriage. Her husband (Vijaya Singh) and mother-in-law (Basanti Devi) were convicted of murder and life imprisonment. The Supreme Court upheld the convictions, finding a complete chain of circumstantial evidence: testimony that the deceased was harassed over household work and prevented from moving to Chandigarh; sisters of the accused admitting (in Section 164 statements) to a quarrel on the fatal day; medical evidence that 100% burns are impossible in suicide; fresh injury marks on the accused at arrest; their unnatural conduct in not seeking medical help; and tampering with the crime scene. The Court rejected the suicide theory as lacking proportionality and held that when two courts consistently find guilt based on circumstantial evidence examined comprehensively, their findings cannot be disturbed on mere conjecture.
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