'Monstrous Conduct; Betrayed Trust': Andhra Pradesh HC Denies Bail To Man Accused Of Killing Employer's Wife, Committing Necrophilia

The Andhra Pradesh High Court earlier this week refused to grant bail to a 21-year-old man accused of brutally murdering the wife of his employer (a proctologist/Doctor) and subsequently committing rape on her dead body, noting that the accused's conduct was 'monstrous' and amounted to an act of 'outrageous criminality'. Perturbed over the serious allegations levelled against the accused, a bench of Justice T Mallikarjuna Rao further observed that the accused had 'gravely' betrayed his employer's trust, and that his close involvement with the family's private space had made the crime 'especially shocking' and 'deeply distressing'. The case in brief As per the prosecution's case, the accused (Nayan Biswas) was working as a compounder in the complainant's (husband of the deceased) hospital for the past 2.5 years and lived with the family in their house. It is alleged that from the beginning, he had developed a perverse interest in the complainant's wife. On the intervening night of December 31, 2024, and January 1, 2025, the accused allegedly entered the bedroom of the deceased at around 3:30 in the night with an iron pipe. He allegedly attempted to sexually assault her, and when she woke up and panicked, the accused purportedly attacked her brutally on the head, causing her death. Later, to screen the evidence, the accused dragged and shifted the dead body to a shady, secluded place, wherein he allegedly acted as a necrophile and committed rape on the corpse of the deceased. Seeking bail in the case, the accused moved the HC, submitting that he had been falsely implicated in the case. High Court's observations At the outset, the Single Judge took note of the preliminary charge sheet filed in the case and the statement of LW-7, who claimed to have seen the accused dragging a heavy object outside the house during the night. The Court noted that the filing of the charge sheet in the matter signified that, after a thorough investigation, the investigating agency, having gathered sufficient evidence, had formally presented the charge sheet for the trial of the accused. Furthermore, the Court, taking note of the gravity of the crime, especially what was allegedly done with the dead body, described the acts as 'scurrilous', 'abominable', and a result of the accused's monstrous and brutish conduct. "The material on record prima facie shows that the petitioner gravely betrayed his employer's trust by committing the murder of his wife; as a compounder living in the complainant's home, he was regarded as a loyal and trusted member of the household; his close involvement in daily life and access to the family's private space make this crime especially shocking and deeply distressing", the bench observed. "…the petitioner acted in a beastly manner—driven by lust, he approached the deceased, and when she resisted, he feared she would report his offence to her family; to conceal his crime, he ruthlessly ended the life of the innocent victim; the accused inflicted brutal and cruel head injuries on the young deceased; the manner in which the deceased was murdered—both in approach and method—reveals the petitioner's outrageous criminality and premeditation…", the Court further noted. Importantly, the Court said that while pre-trial imprisonment should not be used as a substitute for punishment without the scrutiny of the evidence by the trial Court, at the same time, the Court said, in a case where a woman was subjected to such acts, granting bail at this stage could have an adverse impact on society. In view of the above observations and while noting the gravity and 'magnitude' of the crime, the single judge dismissed his bail plea.

'Monstrous Conduct; Betrayed Trust': Andhra Pradesh HC Denies Bail To Man Accused Of Killing Employer's Wife, Committing Necrophilia

Sparsh Upadhyay

Tags