A man has been sentenced to death for burning his wife alive after repeatedly humiliating her over her skin colour. ‌

The man, known only as Kishandas, "routinely taunted" partner Lakshmi "for being dark skinned", statements made prior to her death revealed. ‌

District Judge Rahul Choudhary handed down the death penalty at a court in India, saying the horrific murder fell in the category of "rarest of the rare" and it was "a crime against humanity". ‌

As reported by the Mirror , the man - who is from the village of Navaniya - killed his wife in the northern city of Udaipur June 24, 2017.

His lawyers maintain his innocence and vowed to appeal the judgement after the case made headline news in a country where colourism remains deeply entrenched in society.

Lakshmi previou

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