The Madhya Pradesh High Court has upheld the life imprisonment of former chemistry professor Mamta Pathak, who was convicted of murdering her husband, government doctor Neeraj Pathak, by electrocution at their home in Chhatarpur district in 2021.
The division bench of Justices Vivek Agarwal and Devnarayan Mishra, in a 97-page judgment delivered on Tuesday, ruled that the entire chain of circumstantial evidence confirmed her role in the crime. The court also cancelled the earlier suspension of her sentence and directed that she surrender immediately before the trial court to serve the remaining jail term.
Dr Neeraj Pathak, who was posted at the Chhatarpur District Hospital, died on April 29, 2021, at his home in Loknathpuram Colony. His body bore electric burn marks. The court noted that Mamta Pathak had administered sedatives to her husband before electrocuting him.
The high court concluded that no outsider was present at the house on the day of the incident and said the prosecution’s version that Mamta was the only one with access to the victim stood unshaken.
Strained relationship and call for help
According to the prosecution, the couple’s relationship was strained, with Mamta frequently accusing Neeraj of having an affair. On the day of the incident, before noon, Dr Neeraj had managed to call a relative, claiming that Mamta was torturing him, had locked him in the bathroom, and had caused a head injury.
The relative contacted the police, who then rescued the doctor. The audio recording of this conversation and the relative’s testimony in court were among the key pieces of evidence that supported the prosecution’s case.
Scientific defence overruled
Convicted by a Chhatarpur court on circumstantial evidence, Mamta had appealed against the verdict in the high court. A former chemistry professor, she initially argued her case herself and later with legal help, using scientific explanations to question the post-mortem report and the alleged electrocution.
She claimed the electric and thermal burn marks on Neeraj’s body were not conclusively examined, and that the house had safety devices like MCB and RCCB, which should have prevented such a death. She also pointed out that no electrical expert or forensic team had visited the crime scene.
Court rejects arguments over electric safety, burn marks
However, the court rejected her arguments, holding that the circumstantial chain, beginning from their strained relationship and the torture allegation, to her presence in the house, and the nature of the injuries, left no reasonable doubt.
The high court affirmed the life sentence, ruling that the murder was carefully planned and executed.
(With PTI inputs)
