Surat court sentences man to life term for 2022 murder over suspicion of affair

The Surat District and Sessions Court has sentenced a 50-year-old labourer, Ishwar alias Koyla Vasava, to life imprisonment for the brutal murder of a co-worker. The court also imposed a fine of ₹20,000 on the convict, with an additional 24 months of simple imprisonment if he fails to pay.

The prosecution's case dates back to the night of Diwali, October 24, 2022, at a charcoal factory located near Shiv Shakti Farm in Eklera village. According to court records, the victim, 70-year-old Prabhu Vasava, had been working at the factory for two decades. The dispute erupted when Prabhu suspected Ishwar of having an illicit affair with his partner.

During the confrontation, Prabhu initially attacked Ishwar with a wooden stick, fracturing the latter's right foot. However, Ishwar managed to overpower the elderly man, snatched the wooden stick, and severely beat Prabhu, inflicting multiple fatal injuries across his body before fleeing the scene. Victim's decomposed body was discovered four days later in an adjacent sugarcane field.

While the defence argued that the case relied entirely on circumstantial evidence since key witnesses turned hostile, the court tied the medical evidence directly to the convict. Medical records revealed that Ishwar had sought treatment for his fractured foot the morning after the incident, explicitly stating in his hospital history that he was injured during a fight at the Eklera farm.

The court ruled that the chain of circumstantial evidence and the "last seen" theory fully established Ishwar's guilt under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code. The court also recommended compensation for the victim's family under the Gujarat Victim Compensation Scheme.