The High Court for the State of Telangana has upheld the conviction of a woman accused of stabbing her husband to death during a sudden domestic quarrel, but significantly reduced her punishment by setting aside the four-year jail sentence imposed by the trial court.
Justice Tirumala Devi Eada held that the incident fell under culpable homicide not amounting to murder under Section 304 Part II of the Indian Penal Code, observing that the act took place “in a spur of the moment” during a heated confrontation.
Background of the Case
The case arose from the death of a man in Adilabad district, where the prosecution alleged that his wife, Reshma, stabbed him with a knife during daylight hours.
According to the prosecution, the deceased had gone to the house where his wife was staying with her parents. Witnesses told the court that a quarrel broke out between the deceased and the family members. The High Court noted that the man later returned to the house in a naked condition and allegedly abused the family members in filthy language before the stabbing took place.
The trial court had earlier convicted Reshma under Section 304 Part II IPC and sentenced her to four years’ rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of Rs.500.
She challenged that conviction before the High Court.
The High Court examined the testimony of neighbours, recovery witnesses and the doctor who conducted the postmortem.
The court noted that the deceased suffered a deep stab injury on the neck which damaged internal organs and caused fatal bleeding. The medical evidence confirmed that the injuries were caused by a sharp object.
The bench also relied on the recovery of the knife allegedly used in the offence, which was recovered pursuant to the accused’s confession.
While assessing the circumstances, the court observed that there was no indication of pre-planning.
“The accused must have acted in a spur of anger and thus, has stabbed the deceased,” the court observed while agreeing with the trial court’s finding that the case attracted Exception 4 to Section 300 IPC dealing with sudden fights without premeditation.
Justice Tirumala Devi Eada further said the prosecution had successfully proved that the accused had knowledge that the act was likely to cause death, even if there was no intention to commit murder.
The court said, “She acted in a spur of the moment,” while concluding that the offence squarely fell under Section 304 Part II IPC.
The High Court partly allowed the criminal appeal.
While upholding the conviction under Section 304 Part II IPC, the court modified the sentence imposed by the trial court. Taking a lenient view of the circumstances in which the offence occurred, the court set aside the four-year prison sentence and reduced the punishment to a fine of Rs.500.
The court directed that in case of default in payment of fine, the accused would undergo simple imprisonment for one month.
Case Details
Case Title: Reshma v. State of A.P.
Case Number: Criminal Appeal No.1154 of 2011
Judge: Justice Tirumala Devi Eada
Decision Date: 01 April 2026
