Latur, Dec 15 (PTI) A court in Maharashtra's Latur district sentenced a 40-year-old man to life imprisonment for setting his wife ablaze in front of their son over a monetary dispute.

District and sessions judge R B Rote on Thursday found the accused, Gajanan Eknath Chakre, guilty of charges under sections 302 (murder) and 498 (a) (cruelty by husband or relative) of the Indian Penal Code and sentenced him to life imprisonment.

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The court also imposed a fine of Rs 500 on him.

According to the prosecution, the accused and his brother often harassed his wife, Jayabai, forcing her to bring money from her parents.

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The accused poured petrol on his wife and set her ablaze in front of their son on January 13, 2021. The woman sustained 40 per cent burns and died at the government hospital a month later.

Nine witnesses were examined during the trial, and the couple's son testified in court.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)