Why Doesn’t India Have Jury Trials?
A sensational murder trial in 1959 gets the blame. But the push to abolish juries began long before a naval officer killed his wife’s lover.
It was a boiling 95 degrees Fahrenheit on April 27, 1959. At midday, Sylvia Nanavati finally confessed a big secret to her husband: she had had “illicit intimacy” with Prem Ahuja, a businessman. Her husband, K.M. Nanavati, was “absolutely stunned” by the confession. Nevertheless, he took Sylvia and their children to a nearby movie theater and told them he’d be back by 6 p.m., when their movie ended. Instead, he went to the INS Mysore, a naval ship, and obtained a revolver. He told the store’s officer he was going to Ahmednagar.
He then drove to Prem Ahuja’s flat and fatally shot him. Nanavati surrendered to the police. But during his trial, a Bombay jury acquitted him, 8-1. Many remember the case as the one that ended Indian jury trials. Others argue that it’s just “legend.” What’s fact? And what’s fiction? The Juggernaut traced the history to find out.