Mohan Chauhan, 45, sentenced to death by a Dindoshi sessions court on Thursday showed calm during his sentencing, unlike the aggressive behaviour he showed some hours prior to it.
Chauhan is unlettered and requested the judge to explain the proceedings in Hindi to him. Additional Sessions Judge HC Shende was pronouncing the verdict and her brief reasoning for the same in open court in Marathi as Chauhan had a day earlier, said he understands Hindi and Marathi. Judge Shende explained to him that he has the right to appeal against his sentence in the Bombay High Court. After the proceeding ended and he was leaving the witness box, he folded his hands before the judge and apologised if he had done anything wrong.
On Thursday, he had lost his temper on various occasions during arguments on the quantum of sentence and claimed to have been falsely implicated. He used abusive language on escort police, including women probe officers, drawing a sharp reprimand from Judge Shende. At one point, the judge had to ask him to be taken out of the room for creating a nuisance and asked him to maintain decorum in her court.
Chauhan’s legal-aid advocate Kalpana Waskar said Chauhan has a family back in his native of Jaunpur, UP, comprising his wife, two teenage girls, an elder son and father. His father farm labour, Chauhan did labour work too for a living, while his mother is no more. She said Chauhan claimed to have come to Mumbai only sometime before the incident. The police probe states he was residing in Sakinaka, though not in a permanent residence.
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