In a strong condemnation of domestic violence and societal prejudices, a court in Udaipur has sentenced a man to death for brutally murdering his wife by setting her ablaze after forcing her to apply an inflammable chemical under the guise of a skin-whitening remedy.
Delivering the verdict in the eight-year-old case, the Additional District and Sessions Court in Mavli (Udaipur) described the act as a “heinous crime against humanity” and said it was “extremely rare and shocking.”
The incident occurred on June 24, 2017, in Navaniya village, when the convict, Kishanlal, deceived his wife Laxmi into applying a chemical he falsely claimed would make her skin fairer. According to the prosecution, Kishanlal, who often taunted his wife for her complexion, lit an incense stick and set her on fire after she applied the substance.
Despite suffering severe burns, Laxmi managed to flee the room, but she later succumbed to her injuries at a hospital. The court noted that Kishanlal had deliberately locked the room from inside, preventing her escape.
The court, in its strongly worded judgment, stated:
“The extremely heart-wrenching and brutal act was not only a crime against his wife, the deceased Laxmi, but it causes such a shock to the consciousness of entire humanity that it cannot even be imagined in a healthy and civilised society.”
It further held that Kishanlal’s actions reflected “a heinous mindset” rooted in societal prejudices around skin colour and gender, and were a gross violation of the trust and dignity inherent in marriage.
Public prosecutor Dinesh Paliwal presented 14 witnesses and 36 documents, including Laxmi’s dying declaration, which became crucial in securing the conviction. In her statement, Laxmi recounted how her husband mocked her appearance, locked her inside a room, and then carried out his plan to burn her alive.
The court highlighted that repeated humiliation and cruelty drove Kishanlal’s actions, concluding that the crime went beyond a domestic dispute and instead represented an attack on humanity itself.
