Nagpur: A district court has sentenced a 42-year-old man to life imprisonment for murdering his live-in partner and attempting to end his own life after committing the crime. The verdict was delivered on Wednesday by District and Sessions Judge-07 Anilkumar Sharma.
The case was registered at MIDC Bori police station under Sections 302 (murder) and 309 (attempt to suicide) of the Indian Penal Code, based on a complaint lodged by a 35-year-old woman residing in Bidganeshpur under Hingna taluka.
As per the prosecution, the accused, Ranjit Nathhu Chaudhary (42), a native of Pandhurna in Chhindwara district of Madhya Pradesh, had been living in a live-in relationship with Sunita Sahadev Raut (43) for nearly ten years at Bidganeshpur village in Nagpur district. The couple resided in Ward No. 6 of the village.
On the night of February 25, 2024, a dispute erupted between the two over financial issues. In the early hours of February 26, the argument escalated, and Chaudhary allegedly strangled Raut to death. After realising that she had died, he attempted suicide by slashing his own throat with a knife.
Police from MIDC Bori, led by Rajiv Karmalwar, rushed to the spot, ensured medical treatment for the accused, and subsequently arrested him in connection with the offence. A thorough investigation was conducted, and substantial evidence was collected before filing the chargesheet in court.
During the trial, the prosecution argued that the nature of the crime was extremely serious and warranted strict punishment. After considering the evidence and hearing arguments from both sides, the court found the accused guilty under Section 302 for murder and Section 309 for attempt to suicide.
The court sentenced Chaudhary to life imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 under Section 302, with six months of rigorous imprisonment in case of default. For the offence under Section 309, he was awarded one year of simple imprisonment and fined Rs 2,000, with an additional one month of simple imprisonment in default of payment.
The investigation in the case was led by then PI Karmalwar of MIDC Bori Police Station, who conducted a comprehensive probe and submitted the chargesheet that ultimately resulted in conviction.
