Mumbai Man Gets Life Sentence For Killing Son Over Family Dispute

A Mumbai Sessions Court has imposed a life sentence on Salim Ali Ibrahim Shaikh for the fatal stabbing of his 20-year-old son in August 2018. The tragic incident occurred in Dongri when the son refused to address his stepmother as "Ammi" (mother).

The case details reveal that the crime took place between 9:00-9:30 PM following an escalating argument between father and son. The victim's mother, witnessing the confrontation, sought police intervention. Upon arrival, authorities discovered the young man had suffered multiple stab wounds from scissors, leading to his death.

During court proceedings, the accused claimed his son died by suicide while under the influence of drugs, a version the victim's mother later supported. However, Judge Dr SD Tawshikar dismissed these claims, citing several contradictory elements. The judge noted that the mother's initial action of seeking police help contradicted the suicide theory, and the father's flight from the scene was inconsistent with typical parental behavior in such situations.

The court determined that the attack was premeditated rather than a heat-of-the-moment incident, emphasizing the deliberate use of scissors as a weapon. Regarding the mother's contradictory testimony, Judge Tawshikar sympathetically acknowledged her emotional predicament, caught between grieving her son's loss and facing her husband's punishment.

The verdict underscored that this was a clear case of murder, not merely culpable homicide, leading to the life imprisonment sentence.