High Court Reduces Man's Life Term To 7 Years In Pregnant Wife's Killing Over '1,000 Husbands' Remark
High Court Reduces Man's Life Term To 7 Years In Pregnant Wife's Killing Over '1,000 Husbands' Remark Published By, Last Updated: July 04, 2026, 02:50
High Court Reduces Man's Life Term To 7 Years In Pregnant Wife's Killing Over '1,000 Husbands' Remark Published By, Last Updated: July 04, 2026, 02:50 IST According to the court, his wife's remark, "I can have a thousand husbands like you," amounted to "grave and sudden provocation" that deprived the man of self-control. File image of Madhya Pradesh High Court. The Madhya Pradesh High Court has reduced the life sentence of a man convicted of killing his pregnant wife to seven years’ rigorous imprisonment, holding that her remark, “I can have a thousand husbands like you," amounted to “grave and sudden provocation" that deprived him of self-control. A Division Bench of Justice Vivek Agarwal and Justice Avanindra Kumar Singh partly allowed the appeal filed by Shiva, who was convicted for killing his wife, Kiran, on the banks of the Kulbaheri River in Chhindwara district in July 2021. According to the prosecution, Shiva called Kiran’s relatives shortly after the incident and told them that he had killed her. When asked why, he allegedly said Kiran had told him, “I can have a thousand husbands like you," following which he picked up a stone lying nearby and attacked her.
He also informed the police about the incident. Also Read: Wife Can’t Be Denied Maintenance Just Because Parents Support Her: Allahabad High Court The trial court had convicted Shiva under Section 304 Part I of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and sentenced him to life imprisonment. The High Court upheld the finding that Shiva was responsible for Kiran’s death but held that the facts of the case warranted a conviction under Section 304 Part II of the IPC instead. It accordingly reduced the sentence to seven years’ rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 1,000. Facial Injuries, Fractured Ribs: What Wife’s Autopsy Revealed The court noted that Kiran was seven months pregnant at the time of the incident. According to the post-mortem report, she sustained facial injuries, fractured ribs and sternum, and died of cardio-respiratory failure caused by severe injuries to vital organs. The doctor who conducted the autopsy stated that the injuries could have been caused by the stone recovered during the investigation. While examining the circumstances of the case, the Bench observed that there was no evidence to suggest the killing was premeditated.
It noted that Shiva himself informed both the police and the victim’s family about the incident, and that the stone used in the assault was lying at the spot. The court also observed that the evidence did not establish repeated stone attacks. It noted that only one stone had been seized and sent for forensic examination, while some of the injuries could have been caused by the rocky surface at the riverbank. Relying on Exception 1 to Section 300 of the IPC, which deals with acts committed under grave and sudden provocation, the Bench referred to Supreme Court judgments on circumstances in which provocative remarks may deprive a person of self-control. In its judgment, the High Court observed that when a wife tells her husband that she can have “a thousand husbands like him," it amounts to an indirect reference to the husband’s worthlessness. The Bench observed that such a statement implies that “he has no value as a human being or as a husband" and, in the facts of the case, could amount to grave and sudden provocation.
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