The 65 -year -old woman of Jabalpur bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court, currently stood alone in front of judges, in a court serving life imprisonment. Although Mamta Pathak is not a lawyer, former Chemistry professor insisted that she does not need to debate her own appeal regarding the murder of her husband Neeraj Pathak, a senior doctor of Chhatrapur District Hospital, 63 -year -old husband Neeraj Pathak.
A marital dispute in a small Madhya Pradesh city in a sensational murder case in 2022 went viral on social media due to a “rare” court fight recently by the elderly convict. During a hearing in the video last month, Justice Vivek Aggarwal asked Mamta, “There are allegations against you that you have murdered your husband through electrocution. The post -mortem doctor clearly stated that there were signs of electric shock.”
In the video, Mamta started her defense, saying that it is not possible to distinguish between thermal and electric burn marks during the post -mortem (just looking at them). The convict then carried forward to explain that a burnt mark found on a body needs to be removed and its source is treated with chemicals to detect.
“Are you a professor of chemistry?” The judge asks.
Positively responding, Mamta says, “I don’t know how the post -mortem has said that it is an electric burn mark.”
On April 29, 2021, Dr. The reader was found dead in the Lokeanathpuram house in Chhatrapur city of Madhya Pradesh. According to the dead body, the cause of death was electrocution. Within days, his wife Mamta, a professor at a local government college, was arrested for his murder and accused under Section 302 (sentence for murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The test conducted in Chhatrapur district court was based on circumstantial evidence, including marital discord on Mamta’s trust that her husband was concerned. In addition, his behavior a day after his death – leaving home with his son in the morning, without informing anyone about her dead husband, in Jhansi, more than 100 km from Chhatpur city, for dialysis, and confessing to his driver that he made a “big mistake”, according to court documents – was also considered suspicious.
Clinic evidence was provided by her husband’s relative, star witness, who testified that Dr. Pathak called him a few hours before his death and said, “Mamta is bothering me … She has locked me in the bathroom and has not given me food or water.”
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The district court found the timeline, witness testimony, and a plug-in wire and recovery of sleeping pills from the residence of Mamta to convict him. On June 26, 2022, the verdict, Additional Sessions Judge Rajesh Kumar Devalia convicted him for life imprisonment with a fine of Rs 10,000.
However, the maternal uncle filed an appeal before the Jabalpur bench of the High Court for suspension of punishment, which started hearing his petition from July 19, 2022. During the first two hearing – 6 September 2022 and 28 November, 2022 – his counsels failed to appear before the court. On January 17, 2023, his lawyer first appeared and demanded a quick hearing, citing his age and his responsibilities towards his old mother. The bench rejected his petition citing the “severe nature” of the crime, including Justices Sujoy Paul and Amar Nath Kesharwani.
On 16 April 2023, Mamta denied legal aid and told the court that she had studied the case for 18 months. He filed another interim application in August, reiterating his desire to recommend self-introduction. On August 31, 2023, the court dismissed his plea, saying that “no opportunity arises” to allow self-repair at that level.
The turning point came on March 12, 2024, when Mamta first presented her arguments. The next day, on 13 March, he focused on two arguments: punishment and suspension of bail. She argued that the prosecution case completely rested her on the circumstantial evidence connecting her to her husband’s death. There was no direct evidence or eyewitness, he told the court, saying that forensic evidence cannot prove to be intentions.
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The former professor also presented extensive medical records citing his health issues – heart valve disease, kidney dysfunction and suspected bone cancer – and said he was the sole carer for his mentally and physically sick son. Accepting the gravity of his diseases and responsibilities, the court gave a temporary suspension of punishment and bail for six months.
On August 29, 2024, Mamta returned to court to demand an extension. Once again, he chose to have self-introduction. He informed the court that his treatment was delayed due to financial difficulty and his son had detected schizophrenia, he was completely dependent on him. The court increased his bail.
On April 16, 2025, Mamta once again addressed the court, during which she confirmed to reduce the legal aid that she was given to her. This time, the bench noticed that it had consciously chosen self-representation and noted it on record. His argument, once again, remained inconclusive. The next day, on 17 April, she told the court that she wants to get assistance by her former lawyer, senior advocate Surendra Singh to complete the remaining submission. The decision in the case is reserved, its legal team says.
Pathak Court hearing 2025 (T) India (T) India News (T) Indian Express News
