Kasaragod: Kasaragod Additional Sessions Court (I) found a woman guilty of abetting the suicide of her brother's wife and sentenced her to four years of rigorous imprisonment.
Soon after the sentencing, Narayani E V (59) of Perlam at Pullur village was arrested and sent to Kannur Central Prison, said public prosecutor P Raghavan. She was the second accused in the case.
Judge A Manoj acquitted the husband for lack of evidence. He was in the gulf when his wife Sudha (38) ended her life on August 27, 2017.
Sudha lived in a separate house her husband built at Perlam. Her sister's 18-year-old daughter used to live with her to keep her company, said Raghavan.
On August 27, Sudha and her niece called on her mother-in-law at Perlam. "There Narayani verbally abused Sudha and accused her of having extramarital affairs," said the prosecutor. Sudha could not take the humiliation, he said.
She rushed home, made a call to her husband, and then ended her life the same day, he said.
Ambalathara police charged Sudha's husband and Narayani with abetment of suicide under section 306 of the Indian Penal Code. Ambalathara's then sub-inspector Vipin Chandran submitted the charge sheet. During the investigation, the police did not arrest Narayani. She was declared absconding, said Raghavan.
During the hearing, the prosecutor cross-examined 15 witnesses and produced 12 documents. The statement of the niece was crucial. She was witness to the humiliation Sudha suffered at the hands of Narayani, he said. "The niece broke down in court. She is yet to recover from the loss," he said.
The court fined Narayani, a homemaker with two sons, Rs 50,000. "She will have to serve one more year in prison if the fine is not paid," Raghavan said.
Since she was sentenced to more than three years, she will have to procure bail from the high court. Till then, she will be in jail.
