Death penalty for killing wives

The Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence awarded by lower courts to a person who killed his two wives.

Saibanna was convicted for murdering his first wife Malakawwa and was sentenced to life imprisonment. As an under-trial prisoner, he came in contact with another under-trial prisoner Dattu and persuaded him to give his 20-year-old daughter Nagamma in marriage to him.

While on bail in the first murder case, he married Nagamma and had a daughter named Vijaylakshmi from her. However, he was taken back to prison after being convicted by the trial court for the murder of Malakawwa.

While serving the sentence of life imprisonment, Saibanna was released on parole for a period of one month on August 19, 1994. He took Nagamma and his child to Bhosga village in Karnataka on September 12, 1994 where his father-in-law lived.

During the night on that day, suspecting Nagamma's fidelity, Saibanna attacked her and the child with a sharp weapon and killed them.

Agreeing with the trial court and the high court that the case fell within the purview of the 'rarest of rare category', a Supreme Court Bench comprising Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justice B N Srikrishna said it was fit case for the imposition of death penalty.