Orissa HC upholds ex-MLA's life sentence for murdering wife

NEW DELHI: The Orissa high court has upheld the life sentence given to former legislator Ram Murti Gomango for the murder of his wife five years ago. The incident took place in August 2019, when the charred body of Gomango's wife, Sashirekha, was found in the bathroom of his official residence in Bhubaneswar. Gomango claimed his wife had died by suicide.A special MP-MLA court in Bhubaneswar convicted Gomango under IPC Sections 302 (murder) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence), sentencing him to life imprisonment and imposing a fine of Rs 10,000. Gomango appealed the verdict in the Orissa High Court.A high court division bench consisting of Justices S K Sahoo and Chittaranjan Dash reviewed the case. "The conviction stands firmly substantiated," the bench stated. The bench noted that the prosecution proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Gomango intentionally caused his wife's death. The forensic evidence, which included antemortem injuries on the victim's head, supported the conclusion of intentional homicide. "Since the sentence awarded is absolutely in accordance with law, there is nothing to interfere with," the bench said, dismissing Gomango's appeal. The high court has instructed Gomango to surrender before the trial court and pay the fine. "In case the convict fails to surrender, the trial court shall proceed in accordance with law," the bench noted.Gomango, who first won the Gunupur (ST) Assembly seat in 1990, contested elections under different political parties over the years but had not been successful since his last win in 2000.