Rajasthan man sentenced to death for setting wife ablaze after taunts over skin colour, weight

A Rajasthan court has handed down the death penalty to a man who murdered his wife in a premeditated and brutal manner after repeatedly humiliating her over her skin tone and weight.

The Additional District and Sessions Court at Mavli in Udaipur on August 30 convicted Kishan Lal of murdering his wife, Laxmi, by setting her on fire in June 2017. The court said the “barbaric” act — disguised as a false promise of fairness treatment — was not only a crime against his wife but “against humanity itself,” leaving no room for leniency.

According to the prosecution, Kishan Lal tricked his wife into believing he had brought a “medicine” to make her fairer. Though Laxmi suspected the chemical smelled like acid, she agreed to let him apply it on her body. He then lit an incense stick and brought it close to her, igniting her body before pouring the remaining liquid onto her to intensify the flames.

His parents and sister tried to extinguish the fire, but Laxmi sustained fatal burns. Before her death, she gave a detailed dying declaration before a magistrate, which prosecutors relied upon alongside 14 witnesses to secure conviction.

Rejecting all claims of provocation or mental illness, the court held that Kishan Lal’s actions were deliberate, conscious, and extraordinarily cruel. Judge noted that the betrayal of a legally wedded wife in such a horrific manner had “shaken the conscience of society,” and only capital punishment could uphold public faith in justice.

Kishan Lal was convicted under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code and sentenced to death by hanging, along with a fine of ₹50,000 and one year of rigorous imprisonment. The court clarified that the punishment will take effect only after confirmation by a Rajasthan High Court Division Bench, as mandated under law.