Agartala, February 27, 2024: In a landmark verdict, the District Sessions Court of North Tripura district Angshuman Debbarma has sentenced a man to life imprisonment for murdering his wife in a case of domestic violence. The court also imposed a fine of Rs. 5,000 on the convict and ordered him to serve an additional five years in jail if he fails to pay the fine.

The convict, Swapan Kumar Nath, had killed his wife Rikta Nath in 2018 after subjecting her to physical and mental torture for two years. Rikta Nath, who was only 19 years old at the time of her death, was the daughter of Ranjit Nath, a resident of Laljuri Haripur village under Kanchanpur police station. The couple had married in 2016, as per social media posts.

The police had registered a case against Swapan Kumar Nath and his mother Kumudini Rath on 29/12/2018 under Section 302/34 IPC (murder with common intention) and Section 498(A) IPC (cruelty by husband or his relatives).

After six years of trial, the court found both the accused guilty and pronounced the judgment on Tuesday. While Swapan Kumar Nath received the maximum punishment, his mother was awarded three years of imprisonment for her role in the crime. The prosecution was led by Advocate Partha Pal, who hailed the court’s decision as a victory for justice and women’s rights.