Jaipur: A special court in Tonk dealing with cases under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act has sentenced four members of a family to life imprisonment for the murder of a 25-year-old woman.The woman Suman was killed after she insisted that her partner, Pradhan, marry her despite their caste differences. The convicts are Pradhan; Sanjana Devi, his mother; Sawai Ram, his brother; and Sushila, his sister.The judgment was pronounced Wednesday by special judge, SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, Tonk, Arti Maheshwari.Special public prosecutor Meghraj Jat said that the prosecution examined 25 witnesses and produced 37 documents before the court to establish the case.According to the prosecution, Suman had been living in Jaipur for around one-and-a-half years in rented accommodation in Vaishali Nagar. She was allegedly in a relationship with Pradhan, a resident of Shikarpura. Suman wanted to marry him, but the accused allegedly opposed the marriage because of their caste difference and subsequently conspired to eliminate her.The prosecution alleged that on Sept 11, 2022, Pradhan and Suman went to Gum Nagar. Three days later, Pradhan allegedly informed the complainant that Suman had been bitten by a snake and was admitted to a hospital in Ajmer. The prosecution, however, alleged that she had been administered poisonous pesticide.Suman subsequently died and, according to the prosecution, her body was taken home and cremated. The allegations led to the registration of a case at Pachewar police station and a subsequent investigation, after which a chargesheet was filed against the four accused.For murder under Section 302/120-B, the court awarded each accused life imprisonment and a fine of Rs 50,000, with six months’ simple imprisonment in default. A further life sentence and a fine of Rs 50,000 were imposed under Section 3(2)(v) of the SC/ST Act.
