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Chandigarh: Couple convicted of killing daughter awarded 5 years in jail
The court also imposed a fine of ₹12,000 each on the convicted couple identified as Pooja, 22, and Vishal, 23, residents of Phase 1, Ram Darbar; they were proven guilty by the postmortem report, even as all witnesses had turned hostile
A couple convicted of killing their 25-day-old daughter after slamming her on the floor was awarded a five-year jail sentence by a local court on Wednesday.
The court also imposed a fine of ₹12,000 each on the convicts identified as Pooja, 22, and Vishal, 23, residents of Phase 1, Ram Darbar. They were proven guilty by the postmortem report, even as all witnesses had turned hostile.
While pronouncing the sentence, the court of additional district and sessions judge, Jaibir Singh, took into consideration, “age, family circumstances of the convicts, their antecedents, the fact that they have killed their own child, aged just 24-25 days by throwing her on the floor; and the effect of such offences on the society as a whole…”
According to police, in August 2018, the couple had an altercation at home, during which Pooja slammed her 25-day-old daughter, Nayra, on the floor in a fit of rage. The next morning, the couple took the infant to GMCH, Sector 32, where she was declared dead, following which they buried her.
On August 14, 2018, Childline helpline 1098 alerted the police about the incident and inquest proceedings were conducted by the SDM (east) after exhuming the infant’s body from the burial ground.
An autopsy was conducted at GMCH and the medical board opined that the child’s death was caused due to skull injury. Further probe revealed that the girl was killed by her parents and they disposed of the body by burying it.
Subsequently, an FIR under Sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence or giving false information to screen offender) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was registered at the Sector 31 police station.
Couple prayed for leniency for sake of family
Pooja had urged the court to take lenient view, considering that she is physically handicapped and has to take care of her younger sister as well as her brother, aged about 8, after death of her parents. Similarly, Vishal urged the court to take into consideration that he had a partially blind widowed mother, who is under medical treatment.
While pressing for stringent punishment, public prosecutor argued that they are the parents of the child killed by them. “The convicts have killed their god-gifted child by throwing her on the floor. So, the punishment should be such which may have deterring effect on like-minded people,” submitted prosecution.
