NAGPUR: The Nagpur bench of the Bombay high court on Thursday confirmed the death penalty for Vivek Palatkar, who was convicted of killing his son, sister, and three other family members.
Palatkar’s victims included his son Krishna, his sister Archana Pawankar (45), her husband Kamlakar (48), her mother-in-law Meerabai (73), and her daughter Vedanti (12).
The sessions court had sentenced him to death after recording the testimonies of 29 witnesses. The accused also had other crimes registered against him.
Additional government pleader Sanjay Doifide, who argued the case on behalf of the prosecution, drew the court’s attention to statements from witnesses, including the accused’s daughter and sister’s daughter, who miraculously survived the bloody attack.
The convict’s sister, Archana Pawankar, lived with her family in Aradhana Nagar in Dighori. Her husband, Kamlakar, was a property dealer who ran his business under the name “Vaishnavi Electricals” from home.
Previously, when Palatkar was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of his wife, Kamlakar spent Rs 5 lakh to secure his release on bail and later sought the money back.
A dispute arose when Palatkar refused to return the money, despite having resources and over 10 acres of farmland in Navargaon. Palatkar then devised a plan to kill Kamlakar and his family to silence their demands.
On June 11, 2018, Kamlakar’s family members had lunch with him and then fell asleep. Palatkar killed them by smashing their skulls with an iron rod. He then scaled the iron gate and fled before he was arrested.
Palatkar’s victims included his son Krishna, his sister Archana Pawankar (45), her husband Kamlakar (48), her mother-in-law Meerabai (73), and her daughter Vedanti (12).
The sessions court had sentenced him to death after recording the testimonies of 29 witnesses. The accused also had other crimes registered against him.
Additional government pleader Sanjay Doifide, who argued the case on behalf of the prosecution, drew the court’s attention to statements from witnesses, including the accused’s daughter and sister’s daughter, who miraculously survived the bloody attack.
The convict’s sister, Archana Pawankar, lived with her family in Aradhana Nagar in Dighori. Her husband, Kamlakar, was a property dealer who ran his business under the name “Vaishnavi Electricals” from home.
Previously, when Palatkar was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of his wife, Kamlakar spent Rs 5 lakh to secure his release on bail and later sought the money back.
A dispute arose when Palatkar refused to return the money, despite having resources and over 10 acres of farmland in Navargaon. Palatkar then devised a plan to kill Kamlakar and his family to silence their demands.
On June 11, 2018, Kamlakar’s family members had lunch with him and then fell asleep. Palatkar killed them by smashing their skulls with an iron rod. He then scaled the iron gate and fled before he was arrested.
