Decades-Delayed Justice: Life Sentence for 1982 Murder

The Allahabad High Court has dealt a significant blow to blind faith-driven crimes, sentencing Awadhesh Kumar and Mata Prasad to life imprisonment for the murder of Kusuma Devi in 1982. This decision comes 43 years after a trial court acquitted the accused, a verdict that has now been reversed by Justices Rajiv Gupta and Harvir Singh.

The judges identified the case as emblematic of the malignant effects of superstition, where the victim was killed under the pretense of expelling an evil spirit, possibly motivated by intrafamilial disputes. In a damning critique, the court described the original acquittal as suffering from 'patent perversity' due to overlooked evidence.

The judgment underscores a societal warning against the persistence of superstition, referencing hurried efforts to cremate the body as indicative of guilt. The court has mandated the convicts to surrender within two weeks as part of enforcing justice long overdue.