UP woman gets life sentence for setting ‘ugly’ husband ablaze

A 26-year-old woman, who had set her ‘dark and ugly’ husband on fire four years ago in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly, has been sentenced to life imprisonment by a local court here.

Premshree, now 26, was married to 25-year-old Satyaveer Singh, a resident of Bicheta in Kurh Fatehgarh.

She was upset with her husband’s looks and dark complexion and had repeatedly asked him for a divorce.

But despite their constant conflicts, Satyaveer remained steadfast in his commitment to the marriage, and the couple had a daughter in November 2018.

On April 15, 2019, Satyaveer was sleeping when Premshree doused him with petrol and set him on fire. Satyaveer was in hospital in critical condition and later he succumbed to his injuries.

Satyaveer’s brother, Harveer Singh, filed an FIR under IPC Section 302 (murder), leading to Premshree’s arrest.

The court’s judgment on Tuesday confirmed Satyaveer’s dying declaration to the police in which he named his wife as his murderer.

Satyaveer said, “I took my wife to her parental house a day before. I returned home the same night. The next morning, I was sleeping at home when my wife set me on fire.”

In her defence, Premshree claimed she had attempted to save her husband and had suffered burn injuries in the process.