The Allahabad High Court has delivered a sharp reversal in a decades-old case, convicting two men for the murder of a young woman, Kusuma Devi, whose death was earlier passed off as natural. The bench of Justice Rajiv Gupta and Justice Harvir Singh, ruling on a government appeal, set aside the 1984 acquittal of Awadhesh Kumar and Mata Prasad. Both have now been sentenced to life imprisonment for murder and destruction of evidence.
Background
The case dates back to 2 August 1982, when Kusuma Devi, a 25-year-old woman from Aurekhi village in Jalaun, was allegedly killed by her husband Awadhesh Kumar and relatives. Her father, Jagdish Prasad, was informed the next morning that his daughter had died. But he grew suspicious on learning her body had been hurriedly cremated at night without informing him or the villagers.
According to the prosecution, Kusuma had confided to her father about Awadhesh’s illicit relationship with his younger brother's wife, which had strained the marriage. Villagers later testified that Kusuma was seen being held down and throttled by her husband and in-laws under the pretext of "ghost possession."
The trial court in 1984 acquitted all four accused, citing contradictions in witness statements. The State filed an appeal, which remained pending for over 40 years. In the meantime, two of the accused, Pramod Kumar and Kishor, passed away, leaving the case alive against Awadhesh and Mata Prasad.
Court's Observations
The High Court found glaring flaws in the trial court’s reasoning. The bench noted that eyewitnesses Shaqir Ali and Lakhan Singh consistently described how they saw the victim being pinned down and strangled in torchlight. Dismissing the trial court’s doubts about the torch evidence, the judges said:
"Lapse on the part of the Investigating Officer cannot be a ground for acquittal of the accused."
On the hurried cremation, the court remarked that such conduct pointed directly to guilt:
"The disposal of the dead body in a most hurried and hasty manner with an intention to screen themselves from legal punishment speaks much of their unusual conduct."
The judges also touched on the social context, condemning the reliance on superstition as a cover for crime.
"This is a classic case of blind faith and unfortunate realities still prevalent in remote areas… such social evils must be condemned by one and all," the bench said.
Decision
After reappraising the evidence, the court concluded that Kusuma’s death was not natural but homicidal. The government appeal was allowed, and the acquittal overturned.
Both Awadhesh Kumar and Mata Prasad were convicted under Sections 302 (murder) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence) of the Indian Penal Code. They were sentenced to life imprisonment along with a fine of ₹20,000 each.
The case, which began over four decades ago, now closes with a stern message from the bench: no amount of delay or technical lapse should allow actual culprits to walk free on flimsy doubts.
Case Title:- State vs. Awadhesh Kumar and Others