Life term for woman who strangled 2 kids to death in 2022

The court also sentenced her to three years of rigorous imprisonment for concealing the bodies in a forest area to destroy evidence

A Pune sessions court on Saturday sentenced a 28-year-old woman to life imprisonment for strangling her two children, aged two and three-and-a-half years, to death following a matrimonial dispute in January 2022. The court also sentenced her to three years of rigorous imprisonment for concealing the bodies in a forest area to destroy evidence.

The incident occurred on January 5, 2022, when Solanki took her two children from their residence towards a forest area. The children never returned. Her husband subsequently approached the police after failing to trace them. (REPRESENTATIVE PHOTO)

The accused, Puna alias Poonam Sanjay Solanki, was convicted under Section 302 (murder) on two counts and Section 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of an offence or giving false information to screen an offender) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The judgment was delivered by Additional Sessions Judge Sachin B Bhansali. The court sentenced Solanki to life imprisonment and a fine of ₹5,000 for the murder of her daughter Chanda and a separate life sentence and fine of ₹5,000 for the murder of her son Anand. For the offence under Section 201 of the IPC, she was sentenced to three years of rigorous imprisonment and fined ₹2,000. The sentences will run concurrently.

The incident occurred on January 5, 2022, when Solanki took her two children from their residence towards a forest area. The children never returned. Her husband, Sanjay Solanki, subsequently approached the police after failing to trace them.

The case was registered at Paud police station on January 6, 2022. The accused was arrested on January 7, 2022, the chargesheet was filed on April 4, 2022, and charges were framed on July 11, 2024.

The prosecution examined 10 witnesses during the trial. A crucial piece of evidence came from a 12-year-old cousin of the deceased children, who told the court that he had seen the accused taking the children towards the forest around noon on January 5, 2022.

Medical evidence was important in establishing the murders. Dr Prachi Uttarwar, who conducted the post-mortem examinations on January 7, 2022, testified that both children had ligature marks around their necks. She attributed their deaths to asphyxia caused by strangulation.

The defence argued that the accused had faced domestic violence and was under matrimonial and socio-economic stress. Her lawyer also submitted that she was pregnant at the time of the incident, had no motive to kill her children, and had no prior criminal record.

The defence sought an acquittal, arguing that the prosecution had failed to establish the charges beyond reasonable doubt. The court rejected the defence arguments and held that the prosecution had established the chain of circumstantial evidence.

However, the court declined to classify the case as one of the rarest of rare cases, as the prosecution sought. It observed that sentencing should not be driven merely by vengeance and must take into account proportionality, deterrence and the possibility of reformation, sentencing her to life imprisonment.

Special public prosecutor Vijay Fargade and additional public prosecutor Anilkumar Varma represented the prosecution. Advocate S Dumbare represented the accused.