Public Prosecutor Poonam Bharne on Tuesday demanded capital punishment for Norman Fernandes, who was convicted last week by the District and Sessions Judge, B P Deshpande, under Sections 302 (for murder), 307 (for attempted murder), 201 (for destruction of evidence) read with 34 of IPC, among other sections, in Santa Cruz double murder case of 2013.
Judge Deshpande adjourned to Wednesday the argument of the defence as the lawyer representing Fernandes remained absent.
In an incident which took place on September 2, 2013 over a property dispute, Fernandes had stabbed his sister Noreen Fernandes e Vaz and her mother-in-law Aurita Anes e Vaz to death while grievously wounding his brother-in-law.
While arguing on the quantum of punishment in the case, PP Bharne underlined several instances which supported her demand. She sought to draw the attention of the court to the fact that both the murders were carried out in a brutal manner enough to shock the village and the entire State.
“A small three-year-old daughter lost her mother and her grandmother, and the father was also assaulted brutally,” she related.
Arguing further, PP Bharne said, “It was a pre-meditated murder as Norman entered his sister's house carrying a knife and assaulted the family members. His aggression was such that he also assaulted himself so that he could accuse the family members of having attacked him. He then went to Caranzalem to destroy the evidence and when he could not take the pain of the wounds, he went and registered himself at Goa Medical College.”
It was also pointed out that there are seven eye witnesses in the case in addition to not only circumstantial evidence but also direct evidence against the accused.
