The Bombay High Court on Tuesday upheld the death sentence of Kolhapur man Sunil Rama Kuchkoravi, who was convicted of murdering his mother and trying to cook her body parts in 2017.
The verdict delivered by a bench of Justices Revati Mohite-Dere and Prithviraj Chavan said the case was one of “cannibalism” and “barbaric behavior” and fell under the “rare of rare” crime category. The court also said there was “no room for reform” in the case.
Kuchkoravi, who was sentenced to death by a Kolhapur court in 2021, appeared in court via video conferencing from Yerwada jail when the court confirmed the verdict.
Judge Chavan said: “This case is extremely rare because he not only killed his mother but also removed her body parts, prepared to boil her heart and put the ribs in oil to prepare for eating.” This is the first of its kind. Cannibalism is therefore the rarest of cases. ”
Judge Dre highlighted the brutality of the crime, saying: “We have not come across a more horrific and barbaric case.” The court also expressed concern that if Kuchikolawi is sentenced to life in prison, He will pose a danger to other prisoners.
The murder, which occurred on August 28, 2017, shocked the entire state. According to prosecutors, Kuchkoravi killed his 63-year-old mother, Yallama Rama Kuchkoravi, then dismembered her body and tried to cook some of her organs .
Defense lawyers Yug Mohit Chaudhry and Payoshi Roy argued that the state should consider the offender’s background, mental health and socioeconomic status as mitigating factors. They recommended giving Kuchikolawi an opportunity to provide any evidence of possible mental illness or erratic behavior.
The court then sought a psychiatric and psychological evaluation of the defendant. The High Court on Tuesday upheld the death sentence against Kuchikolawi.
Kuchikolaoui was told he had 30 days to appeal.