Man gets life imprisonment for murder

Thane: The Thane sessions court has sentenced a man to life imprisonment for a murder committed in 2013. District Judge H M Patwardhan also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on Sunny Arjun Sonawane yesterday.

The fine amount should be paid to the victim’s family, the court said. Public prosecutor Rekha Hiwrale said that Sonawane was accused of setting a man on fire and killing him during pre-wedding celebrations at a friend’s house in Rabale near here on May 4, 2013.

While dancing at a pre-wedding ceremony, Sonawane accidentally bumped into another man, and they had a heated argument. Ganesh Ramsingh Kotal (32) who was present there intervened to stop the quarrel and persuaded both to leave the place.

Later, as Kotal and others were having dinner, Sonawane returned with a can of petrol, doused Kotal with the fuel and set him on fire, the prosecution said. Kotal, who sustained 95 per cent burns, died three days later.

During the arguments, prosecutor Hiwrale sought death sentence for the accused, saying it was a heinous crime. Based on the statements of eye-witnesses, the court convicted Sonawane for murder under section 302 of the IPC and awarded him a life term.