HC upholds life sentence of techie for brutal murder of ex-girlfriend in 2008

The Bombay High Court has upheld the conviction and life sentence imposed on a software engineer for the “brutal” murder of his former girlfriend and colleague in Pune in 2008.

In its judgment of September 26, a copy of which was made available on Wednesday, a Bench of Justices Girish Kulkarni and Advait Sethna said the case was a brutal homicidal death of a young woman driven by extreme hatred, jealousy and vengeance.

The court dismissed the appeal filed by the techie Mohinder Madhuresh, a resident of Madhya Pradesh, challenging the December 2016 order of a sessions court convicting him of murder and sentencing him to life imprisonment.

“This is an unfortunate case where ordinary human conduct of a sensible and rational behaviour is subjugated by emotions of hostility and cruelty, reducing a human being to inhuman and demonic tendencies, leading to the commission of a grave crime,” HC said.

As per the prosecution, Madhuresh killed victim Khushbu Mishra in her flat in Pune on October 20, 2008. Both were 22 at the time and had moved to the city after securing jobs there.

The duo was in a relationship during their college days in Madhya Pradesh. After shifting to Pune, the woman broke up with Madhuresh due to differences, enraging him. He then started harassing and threatening her.

The court noted that the victim had also complained to their office against the accused for harassing her, following which he was reprimanded.

Upholding Madhuresh's conviction, the HC said the prosecution has submitted a complete chain of circumstances that clearly indicate that it was none other than him who committed the murder.

The motive behind the offence was anger and jealousy as the victim had ended the relationship, HC added.