An Indian court has sentenced a man to death for setting his wife, Lakshmi, on fire in 2017 because of her dark complexion — a ruling described by the judge as a crime against humanity.
According to BBC reports, the judgment, delivered over the weekend, drew national attention in a country where colourism remains a deep-rooted social problem.
Court documents revealed that the victim’s husband, Kishandas, regularly mocked her after their marriage in 2016, calling her “kali” (meaning dark-skinned) and ridiculing her appearance.
On the night of June 24, 2017, he allegedly brought home a bottle of liquid which he claimed was a skin-lightening medicine. In her dying statement, Lakshmi recounted that he rubbed the liquid on her body, and when she complained about its strong acid-like smell, he lit her with an incense stick.
“She said he poured the remaining liquid on her while she was burning and then fled the scene,” the court noted. Despite being rushed to hospital by her family, she succumbed to her injuries.
Delivering judgment, Justice Rahul Choudhary described the killing as exceptionally brutal. “It will not be an exaggeration to say that this heart-rending crime was not just against Lakshmi, but a crime against humanity,” he ruled.
The judge said the cruelty Kishandas displayed placed the case in the “rarest of rare” category deserving the death penalty. “He broke her trust and shocked the conscience of humanity, something unimaginable in a civilised society,” he added.
The public prosecutor praised the verdict as a landmark decision.
“A young woman in her early 20s was brutally murdered. She was someone’s daughter, someone’s sister. If we don’t protect our daughters, who will? This judgment is a lesson for society,” he said.