MP HC Judges Taken By Surprise After Woman On Trial Gives Chemistry Master Class

The woman argued that differentiating thermal and electrical burns visually is impossible, citing complex chemical reactions and tissue interactions.

Accused of electrocuting her husband, Mamata Pathak, a former chemistry teacher, surprised a Madhya Pradesh High Court by refuting post-mortem findings. (Representational Image)

Source : ABPLIVE AI

High Court judges in Madhya Pradesh were taken by surprise after a woman on trial, accused of murdering her husband, gave a master class on chemistry during proceedings. 

The judge told the woman that she was accused of murdering her husband by electrocution and asked what she had to say about the post-mortem's findings.

Mamata Pathak, 60, shot off a reply that took the Bench by surprise. "Sir, it is not possible to differentiate between thermal burn marks and electric burn marks in a post-mortem room," said Pathak who used her years of experience as a chemistry teacher, reported NDTV. 

Her response to the division bench of Justice Vivek Agarwal and Justice Devnarayan Mishra was nothing short of a master class. 

She gave a complex explanation of how electric current interacts with tissues, mentioning the deposition of medical metal particles, acid-based separations in lab tests, and chemical reactions that can only be accurately interpreted post-lab analysis. 

She further said that such observations cannot be made visually. 

Mamta Pathak Guilty Of Husband's Murder 

On April 29, 2021, Mamta Pathak allegedly gave her husband Neeraj Pathak a heavy dose of sleeping pills in Madhya Pradesh's Chhatarpur. She then electrocuted Neeraj, a retired government doctor, before leaving for Jhansi with her son. 

However, during the police probe, Mamta claimed she returned from Jhansi on May 1 and found her husband dead. Later, a voice recording of Neeraj Pathak surfaced claiming his wife tortured him, and their driver's testimony about her confessing to a "big mistake", proved to be the turning point in the case. 

Further, more evidence came up suggesting a troubled marriage and the investigations revealed Mamta Pathak had filed a complaint alleging domestic abuse and accusing her husband of drugging her food. She later withdrew the complaint.

She was found guilty by a sessions court of premeditated murder and sentenced to a life term. She then approached the High Court and secured bail last year.