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NEW DELHI: Odisha court sentenced Sanjeet Dash, 46, to death for brutally murdering his wife and attempting to kill his six-year-old daughter.
The incident occurred on June 9, 2022, just days after Saraswati, a head nurse at a private hospital, gave birth to their second daughter.
According to the prosecution, Dash stabbed his wife 33 times and slit his elder daughter’s throat, but she survived the attack.He was arrested the following day, and a charge-sheet was filed in October 2022.
The Second Additional Sessions Judge, Bandana Kar, categorized the crime as “rarest of rare” and stated, “No leniency thus should be shown to the convict… Hence, this court awards death sentence to the convict.”
The court determined that the motive behind the killing was the birth of a second girl child, which also led to the attempted murder of the first daughter.
The court emphasized that imposing the death penalty for such an exceptionally heinous crime would serve as a deterrent to others who might consider committing similar atrocities.
In addition to the death sentence, Dash was also awarded life imprisonment, with both sentences to run concurrently, subject to any modifications or pardons granted to the convict.
The court expressed deep concern for the trauma endured by the six-year-old girl, noting that she had to witness the horrific killing of her mother by her own father.
“The little girl of six, who would have would proudly sung ‘Vande Mataram’, had her larynx brutally cut open by her own father, the girl who would perhaps relish little pleasures of watching ‘Chhota Bheem’ and ‘Doraemon’ had to rather witness the ghastly killing of her mother by her father,” the court observed.
The child’s home, once a safe haven, has now become a scene of unimaginable horror, shattering her sense of security and trust.
The court directed that a copy of the judgment be provided to the District Legal Services Authority (DSLA), Khurda, to consider compensation for the deceased’s minor daughters.