Man gets life term for setting wife ablaze

A 40-year-old man, who allegedly set his wife on fire two years ago, was sentenced to life imprisonment by a court in Rajasthan's Jhalawar district.

Additional District Judge Prabhat Agrawal on Monday held the accused, Jakir, guilty under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code and also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on him.

In October 2017, Jakir allegedly poured kerosene on his wife Afsana (35), while she was cooking in the kitchen at their house in Kalayanpura area in Bhawanimandi town, and then set her afire, Public Prosecutor Sanjay Gupta said.

Afsana was rushed to a nearby hospital from where she was referred to a health facility in Jaipur. After battling for life for 4-5 days, she succumbed to injuries, Gupta said.

In her dying declaration, Afsana had accused her husband of burning her, the public prosecutor said.