A city court in Gurgaon has delivered a guilty verdict in a 2022 murder case, convicting a woman for killing her husband. The judgment came despite key witnesses, including the couple's own children, turning hostile during the trial. The court ruled that the weight of circumstantial and forensic evidence was compelling enough to establish guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
The Fatal Night and Initial Cover-Up
According to the prosecution's case, the incident occurred on the night of July 8, 2022. Anita Pathak, 47, allegedly attacked her 50-year-old husband, Raghavendra Pathak, during a quarrel at their home. The prosecution stated that she first struck him with a helmet. When the helmet broke, she then picked up a cricket bat and continued the assault, inflicting injuries that later proved fatal.
Initially, the death was presented as an accident—a fall in the bathroom. This narrative was quickly dismantled by a medical examination, which found injuries consistent with a violent physical assault. Raghavendra was found dead at home under suspicious circumstances. His brother, Vijendra Pathak, the complainant in the case, stated that he first received a call about Raghavendra being in critical condition at Metro Hospital in Palam Vihar, followed soon after by news of his death.
Hostile Witnesses and Unshakable Evidence
The trial faced a significant hurdle when the couple's children and other family members turned hostile, refusing to testify against Anita. Her defense counsel, Pawan Yadav, highlighted the lack of eyewitnesses and the family's refusal to support the prosecution's version.
However, the prosecution built its case on solid physical evidence. Based on Anita's disclosure statement, police had recovered crucial items from the couple's home: a broken helmet, a cricket bat, a stick, a pillow, and a blood-stained sheet. Forensic analysis conclusively linked these items to the fatal assault. Public Prosecutor Vishal Raj argued that the attempt to portray the death as a bathroom fall was directly negated by this medical and material evidence.
Court's Observations and Final Ruling
The court, presided over by Sessions Judge Vani Gopal Sharma, noted several damning factors. It pointed to Anita's suspicious conduct after her husband's death, including attempts to expedite the funeral and her inability to provide a credible explanation in her statements. The court also considered the couple's strained marital relationship, fueled by Raghavendra's unemployment post losing his job at ITC during the Covid pandemic and his subsequent turn to alcohol, as part of the motive.
"There was no evidence of forced entry by a third party, and sufficient evidence established that Anita was present in the house on the night of the incident," the judge observed. The court concluded that the material evidence, combined with the sequence of events reconstructed by investigators, left no room for doubt about her role in the killing.
Anita Pathak, who was out on bail, was taken into custody following the conviction. She was arrested on July 10, 2022, and a chargesheet was filed against her on September 26, 2022. The case stands as a stark example where forensic science and circumstantial evidence triumphed in the face of witness hostility to deliver justice.
