Fatal Vows: Matrimony and Murder in a Changing India

A rise in women accused of killing their husbands is unsettling India's notions of marriage, modernity and empowerment.

Sonam, Muskan, Shivani, Ravina, Radhika – these are names that are making headlines not for gender empowerment, but for alleged betrayal of matrimonial trust. These women from small towns across India stand accused of killing their husbands. Their cases are grimly sensational, not only because of the crimes, but because they upend entrenched assumptions about womanhood in India.

Once unthinkable, the notion of a wife plotting her husband's murder is no longer shocking. The headlines are becoming familiar. Whether the phenomenon is growing or simply reported more often is unclear. But public reactions are telling: disbelief is giving way to weary acceptance.

The accused were, by all accounts, living unremarkable lives - until they weren’t. In some cases, domestic abuse is alleged. In others, motives are chillingly mundane: extramarital affairs, money, revenge. The instinct to excuse female perpetrators as victims first is being tested.

This unsettling trend raises difficult questions. Are these acts signs of empowerment, or the opposite? Experts suggest a complex mix. Unrealistic gender expectations, social stigma, and bottled frustration may drive some women to violence. Psychiatrist Dr. Harish Shetty noted in a recent interview to The Perfect Voice that while such crimes are not new, their context is changing. “Masculinity in women is no longer always used for self-protection but sometimes to inflict harm,” he said. Still, he cautions against false equivalence: for every man killed by a woman, a hundred women fall to male violence.

These are not stories of rebellion, nor of justice but of disruption. They speak to a society in transition, where the traditional roles of victim and perpetrator no longer sit comfortably.

“But certainly, Women today are asking for more as they no longer want to be treated as doormats. They seek emotional, physical and psychological fulfilment. But in this pursuit, many are overtaken by speed and emotional volatility, leading to poor judgement.” adds Shetty.

Even as experts in the field of psychology point out that instant gratification, increase in the pace of lives of people in today’s world and changing psychologies are leading to such heinous crimes, the question that still remains is while there is an option to file a divorce and seek separation in the most peaceful manner, why are women taking the drastic decisions of plotting murders.

Some legal experts anonymously pointed out that while divorce seemed to be a viable option, after divorce the wife could get only half of the husband's salary as alimony. On the other hand if the perpetrator manages to prove the murder to be an accidental death, she would become a class 1 legal heir, husband’s nominee, and she gets the insurance policy, all the assets that legally belong to the deceased. Besides, a divorce procedure is a long process as in India, law tries its best to save the marriage.

Speaking to The Perfect Voice, Advait Helekar, a Mumbai based Advocate practicing Criminal Law said, “Killing is just a part of the larger issue that involves abuse that can be as minor as verbal insult or a slap or further violence that amounts to domestic abuse. Lack of deterrence of law is a key issue that is important to note here. If a husband abuses his wife, she immediately uses law to protect herself. A woman has the option to fall back on Section 498 a or the Domestic violence Act as a remedy to any abuse. A man unfortunately does not have an option other than filing for divorce.”

Helekar further added, “Since women have been subjected to atrocities and have been victims of serious crimes over past decades, the law is justifiably designed in such a way that it doesn’t have a solution to cases where husbands are the victims. The husband is left with just two options, either to be a silent sufferer or seek divorce. Often, the acts of abuse may escalate to the point of murder. Another aspect that merits attention is that the accused, many a time, think that they won’t be caught or simply don’t care.”

Experts agree that such cases aren’t new, but now gain visibility through social media. They also cite a cultural shift: a rise in violent, adulterous themes on OTT platforms may be desensitising viewers and, in some cases, normalising extreme behaviour.

Supreme Court lawyer Nitin Satpute observes that beyond the nature of entertainment consumed today, rising disposable incomes have altered social behaviours. “The psychology of people has changed,” he notes. “Among college students, not having a boyfriend or girlfriend is seen as a matter of shame. Teenagers’ lifestyles are evolving rapidly, and so is society at large,” he told The Perfect Voice.

A lot of campaigns have been done over years against practices like dowry, Sati and the efforts are constantly being made to contribute to women empowerment and eradicate the bad practices in society. However, something seems to be getting misfired.

Satpute further added, “Both men and women are away from each other out of their home, in their own worlds at their workplaces. A little argument or a trivial issue at home, leads to desperately seeking a comfort zone at work places. Hence, extra-marital affairs are on the rise. Such crimes are often high among the age group of 25-35 years. They don’t have the maturity to think of the consequences. Earlier, women used to be at home, their world was confined to their children and their home. Women empowerment is a must for a better society. Women must move out, get educated, be independent, however, today’s fast lives where everyone is on their own are leading to other problems in society.”

Everything boils down to another important question leading to another complex issue and that is- why are marriages failing in India?

Mumbai-based Family Court Advocate Manasi Beri observes that patience and tolerance used to be the backbone of every marriage earlier.

“Today, neither men nor women seem to have the patience they once did. Even people in their sixties are filing for divorce. Many have reached a point of emotional saturation where meaningful dialogue is no longer possible. Another factor is the evolving discourse around gender equality which some interpret it too literally. No matter how much a woman earns or how successful she becomes, it is often said that only a woman can truly turn a flat into a home. Hired help cannot replicate the emotional investment we bring to our own spaces. Many marriages are faltering because neither partner is willing to let go of their ego. No one wants to take a step back to build something lasting. The conflict has become a standoff over the question: ‘Why me? Why should I be the one to sacrifice?’”

Social activists offer a different lens: these cases may reflect deep discomfort with women defying traditional roles. Often overlooked is the fact that the accused women rarely act alone—men are frequently complicit, if not the instigators.

Whether these crimes are a dark byproduct of empowerment or eruptions of long-suppressed frustration remains unclear. But the troubling question persists: what drives someone like Sonam Raghuvanshi to orchestrate her husband’s murder during wedding festivities in Madhya Pradesh and carry it out in distant Meghalaya, rather than walk up to her parents and say, “I am not willing to marry this man.”