Soumitra Nandi
Kolkata: The Alipore Judges Court on Thursday pronounced death sentence to Avik Ghosh on charges of brutal murder of his wife Mousumi Ghosh and maid servant Parulbala Ghosh at his Oxytown residence in Behala in the southern fringes of the city way back in September 2010.

8th Additional District and Sessions Judge Siddharta Kanjilal also awarded life imprisonment for Somnath Tanti whom Avik had hired on contract for committing the crime. 

While delivering his judgment on Thursday the Judge said,” The duty of a husband is to protect his wife. But you had been torturing your wife right from your marriage in 2005. You had committed her murder in cold blood while you were staying at Munger in Bihar. Actually you have murdered not only your wife but also your two children in the sense that you have deprived them of their mother’s love. In true sense, you have committed three murders. So death sentence is what you deserve.”

“ It is the third instance in the history of Alipore court that a Judge has awarded death sentence to somebody. It is surely a landmark judgement,” said Shyamadas Ganguly,public prosecutor. 

On September 27, 2010 Mousumi was at first drugged, then her hands and feet tied following which her throat was slit. Parulbala was hit on her head with a heavy object. The police had arrested Mousumi’s husband Avik Ghosh, Somnath Tanti, Sadaf Pervez, Sadif Ahmed Khan and Sk Ishrafil in connection with the crime. Apart from Avik and Somnath the other three were released due to lack of evidence on Tuesday.

“There was no direct eyewitness in the case. It was only circumstantial evidence that was produced during course of the trial. The police had come across bank transactions from Avik Ghosh’s account to Somnath Tanti. Avik was also seen handing over bundle of cash to Somnath, some days after the murder. The killers had looted ornaments from the house which were later recovered. In the test identification parade, Mousumi’s parents identified those to be of their daughter,” public prosecutor Ganguly told the Journo Spy. 

After the judgement Mousumi’s father Sankar Dutta said, “ Avik had killed my daughter in such a brutal manner. He deserves to be hanged. This judgment is a trendsetter for husband’s like Avik, who went to the extent of killing his wife.”

While leaving the court room after the judgment Avik remarked that he had been framed. “I will move higher court challenging this judgment,” he said.