Ottapalam: A man who was convicted for the suicide of his wife 25 years ago is set to serve one-year rigorous imprisonment after the Supreme Court rejected his appeal.
Surendran, 55, a resident of Mankara in Palakkad district surrendered before the Ottapalam assistant sessions court the other day soon after the apex court verdict. (Mankara is about 16 km from Ottapalam.)
Police inspector V Baburajan said Surendran was sent to Kannur Central Jail soon after he was sentenced to one-year rigorous imprisonment earlier.
Surendran's wife Ajitha, alias Bindu, 20, was found hanging in her house on October 21, 1996.
A case was registered for suicide due to dowry harassment and cruelty against the husband, in-laws and two brothers-in-law. The sessions court sentenced the husband and mother-in-law while acquitting the two brothers.
Surendran and his mother had approached the Kerala High Court. The high court reduced her sentence to just one month after dropping the dowry harassment charge.
However, the court upheld the sentence given to the husband for cruelty. Surendran challenged the high court verdict in the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court upheld the sentence given to Surendran stating that the wife's statement given before death could be considered for proving the sections of cruelty in the case.
Surendran surrendered after being directed by the court to present himself within seven days.