Man gets life term for killing mom with sugarcane cutter

Pilibhit: The court of district and sessions Judge Ravindra Kumar on Wednesday sentenced 43-year-old Mahesh Pal from Pilibhit to life imprisonment for killing his mother, Kailash Kumari, with a sharp sugarcane cutter over a minor dispute on Dec 31, 2022.

An FIR was lodged at Barkhera police station the same day on a complaint filed by the convict’s elder brother, Satya Pal, under IPC Section 302 (murder). Mahesh was arrested later that day. As no family member moved a bail application on his behalf, he remained behind bars throughout the trial.

According to the complaint, Mahesh, who was addicted to alcohol, frequently demanded money from his mother to buy liquor. On the morning of the incident, he argued with her around 9.30 am after she refused to give him money. Enraged, he attacked her on the head with the cutter while she was cooking, causing her death on the spot.

A chargesheet was filed on Jan 13, 2023. District govt counsel (criminal) Mahendra Pal Gangwar said the defence was represented by an amicus curiae as the convict’s family had not engaged a lawyer. “After examining the evidence and hearing both sides, the court found Mahesh guilty and sentenced him to life imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 10,000,” he added.

Meanwhile, district jail superintendent Rajesh Pandey said, “Mahesh was admitted to a govt mental health institute in Varanasi from April 8, 2025, to Jan 18, 2026, after suffering a severe psychiatric episode. A medical board had recommended specialised treatment, following which the district judge permitted his transfer to the hospital.”

He added that the jail administration would initiate an appeal in the Allahabad high court against the conviction if the convict’s family did not do so.