MP HC rejects Ex-Professor’s defence theory, upholds life sentence in husband’s murder
The Madhya Pradesh High Court upheld the life imprisonment of Mamta Pathak for the murder of her husband, Dr. Neeraj Pathak. Pathak, a former chemistry professor, challenged the post-mortem findings using scientific arguments.
Denying scientific theories, the Madhya Pradesh High Court upheld the life imprisonment of Mamta Pathak, who was convicted of murdering her husband, Dr Neeraj Pathak. The conviction, initially handed down by a Chhatarpur district court in June 2022 after the suspicious death of Dr Pathak at their residence in 2021.
A bench comprising Justices Vivek Agrawal and Devnarayan Mishra dismissed Mamata's, a 64-year-old former chemistry professor, appeal, rejecting her technical arguments rooted in her academic background.
Initially, the police report suggested accidental electrocution. However, subsequent forensic and post-mortem examinations revealed compelling evidence of foul play, leading to murder charges. The medical reports pointed to electrocution as the cause of death, with the post-mortem detailing shock due to cardiorespiratory failure and exposure to electric current at multiple body sites.
During her self-represented appeal in April, Mamata cited scientific literature and challenged the post-mortem findings, arguing they were inconsistent and inconclusive. She questioned the estimated time of death and the nature of the burns, suggesting that thermal and electrical burns could be indistinguishable without specific advanced tests. "It can only be made by acro reaction and scanning electron microscopy from the deposition of metal particles into the skin/tissue, but no such attempt was made," she told the court.
She also pointed to potential inaccuracies in decomposition patterns and humidity considerations, stating that the absence of putrefaction signs contradicted the report's timeline.
The High Court, however, found her arguments unconvincing. The bench noted that climatic variations significantly impact decomposition rates across India, making fixed timelines difficult. They emphasised that the presence or absence of certain decomposition signs alone could not invalidate the post-mortem findings.
The court also cited expert opinion from forensic pathologist Dr D S Badkur, who testified that bodily changes after death, especially due to electric shock, develop gradually and that cardiac arrest depends on the voltage.
Mamata, who had been granted interim bail to care for her mentally challenged child following the district court's verdict, chose to represent herself in the High Court due to limited legal support. The High Court ultimately deemed the murder "grave and deliberate," upholding the life sentence and ordering Mamta Pathak to surrender immediately.