A local court has convicted Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML)’s accident department chief, Sanjay Rajaram Kusalkar (45), of bigamy and sentenced him to two years’ rigorous imprisonment, besides slapping a Rs6,000 fine.
During the trial, Kusalkar had concealed his first marriage from the court. Additional sessions judge VV Joshi on Monday sentenced Kusalkar, who is a resident of Vishrantwadi.
Kusalkar’s second wife Poornima (30) (name changed) had moved the court against him. According to the prosecution, Kusalkar had a teenaged son from his first marriage with Rachna (name changed).
The prosecution stated that Rachna had left Kusalkar following a dispute in 2003, after which she had filed a case under section 498 A (cruelty against married woman by relatives) at the Vishrantwadi police station. In 2005, Kusalkar married Poornima, a resident of Kharadi and a divorcee, and they started living in his home in Vishrantwadi with his mother.
Matters came to a head after Poornima gave birth to a male child and when she returned, she fond that Kusalkar’s first wife and son were staying with him. Though she tried staying with the trio, she was allegedly shunted out of the home by Kusalkar and his first wife in 2007.
This prompted Poornima to file a case of rape, cheating and concealment of earlier marriage, and voluntarily causing hurt. When the case came up for hearing, Kusalkar denied his previous marriage and told the court that Poornima was his only wife.
The DNA report of their child was also positive and the prosecution failed to prove his first marriage. In September 2010, Kusalkar was acquitted of all charges.
After this, Poornima moved court seeking maintenance from Kusalkar. While replying to the notice in this case, Kusalkar admitted that he was married to another woman and they had a 15-year-old son and refused to pay maintenance.
Later, Poornima and additional public prosecutor Hira Bari found the earlier complaint filed by Kusalkar’s first wife and school certificate of their son.
In November, armed with these documents, Poornima appealed in the Bombay high court, which remanded the case back to the lower court which convicted Kusalkar of bigamy.
