High Court upholds life term for husband, ‘friend’

Saurabh Malik

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 21

More than six years after city woman Pooja’s charred body was recovered from a forest area in Hoshiarpur district, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has upheld the life sentence slapped on her husband Vajinder Paul and his “girlfriend” Renu Bains.

The case had sent shock waves in the city after the police claimed that the husband had confessed to the crime. At the time of pronouncement of the judgment by the High Court Division Bench of Justice Rajiv Sharma and Justice Harinder Singh Sidhu, appellant Renu Bains was on bail.

“The order of her suspension of sentence is revoked. She is ordered to surrender before the trial court to undergo her remaining sentence of imprisonment imposed vide an order dated August 29, 2014,” the Bench ruled.

The two had moved the High Court against the judgment and order delivered in August 2014 by the UT Additional Sessions Judge. They were charged with, tried and convicted of murder and other offences under Sections 302, 201 and 34 of the IPC.

The prosecution’s case was that Pooja went missing on July 13, 2012. Her father-in-law Balwinder Pal lodged a missing report, stating that Pooja did not reach her place of work. The prosecution added that the victim’s brother also lodged a report suspecting Vajinder Paul, who was arrested on July 17, 2012. He told the police that on July 13, 2012, he took his wife on the road dividing Sector 19 and 20 in a car. He put intoxicants in a cold drink. After consuming the drink, she fell unconscious. Thereafter, he picked up Renu from her house in Sector 20. They went towards the Mohali side. On the way, he, along with Renu, stranguled Pooja with the help of a cloth lying in the car. Thereafter, they took the body to a forest of Hoshiarpur. After pouring petrol, they set her afire.

He told the police that co-accused Renu was well conversant with the area. Thereafter, accused Renu was arrested. She took the police to the place after which the burnt body was recovered. Speaking for the Bench, Justice Sharma asserted that the prosecution had seized from near the body a soil-stained cloth piece and blood-stained hair of the victim. According to an FSL report, residues of petroleum origin had been detected in the bunch of hair. “It has been duly proved. Thus, the prosecution version has been proved that Pooja was killed and thereafter her body burnt with the help of a petroleum product.”

Justice Sharma added that the chain in the present case was complete. All circumstances exclusively established the guilt of the appellants. Accordingly, the appeals filed by the appellants were dismissed. The judgment and order of the trial court were upheld.

How the case progressed

July 13, 2012: Pooja was picked up by her husband Vajinder Paul, given a drink laced with intoxicants and strangled. 

July 17: Vajinder was arrested after the victim’s brother expressed suspicion.

July 19: Pooja’s body found 

August 26, 2017: The two accused held guilty by UT Additional Sessions Judge.