Gauhati High Court Refuses to Reduce Life Sentence of Man Who Killed Mother Over ₹30

Guwahati:
The Gauhati High Court has refused to reduce the life imprisonment sentence of a man who brutally murdered his mother over a dispute involving just ₹30 to buy alcohol. Upholding the conviction, the court ruled that although the crime was not pre-meditated, the accused acted with a clear and deliberate intention to kill.

The judgment was delivered by a division bench comprising Justice Michael Zothankhuma and Justice Kaushik Goswami while dismissing the appeal filed by Shankar Narayan Nandi, who challenged the life sentence awarded by a trial court.

Brutal Crime, Clear Intent

The incident dates back to March 16, 2016, when Nandi, a habitual alcoholic, attacked his mother Geeta Rani Nandi inside a railway quarter at Jalukbari, Guwahati. The crime was triggered after the victim refused to give him more money for alcohol, having already given him ₹30.

In a drunken rage, the accused used a ‘bothi dao’—a sharp household weapon commonly used for cutting vegetables and meat—to slit his mother’s throat with extreme force, almost severing her head from the body.

The post-mortem report revealed a 12 cm × 7 cm deep incised wound on the neck, cutting through skin, muscles, nerves, cervical vertebrae, and the spinal cord. Death occurred instantaneously due to severe spinal injury.

Court Rejects Plea for Leniency

While the defence argued that the act was committed in a sudden fit of anger and sought protection under Exception 4 of Section 300 of the IPC, the High Court firmly rejected the plea. The bench observed that the sheer brutality of the attack and the choice of a vital body part clearly established intent to kill.

“The force used and the nature of the injury inflicted on a vital part of the body leave no doubt that the appellant had the intention to cause death,” the court said.

The judges further ruled that the case did not qualify as a “sudden fight” and therefore could not be downgraded from murder to culpable homicide.

Eyewitness Testimony Strengthens Case

A crucial factor in the court’s decision was the eyewitness testimony of the accused’s father, who witnessed his son attacking his wife and fleeing with the weapon. His statement was corroborated by other witnesses, including the victim’s brother and a police officer who saw the accused carrying the weapon while heading to surrender.

The court also rejected the accused’s claim that he was too intoxicated to form criminal intent, stating that the evidence clearly demonstrated conscious and deliberate action.

Trial Court Verdict Upheld

Earlier, on July 13, a trial court had convicted Nandi under Section 302 IPC and sentenced him to life imprisonment. The High Court found no merit in the appeal and upheld the sentence in full.

Strong Message from the Judiciary

The ruling sends a strong message that domestic violence and crimes driven by addiction and rage will not receive judicial leniency, especially when the act displays extreme cruelty and results in the loss of innocent life.