Bombay HC refuses bail to 76-year-old woman who killed month-old granddaughter

Justice VM Deshpande said that the court is required to look into the manner and brutality with which the offence is committed by the accused.

Age of an accused cannot be a criterion for granting bail to the person, said the Bombay high court while refusing to show leniency to a 76-year-old woman, who killed her month-old granddaughter as she hated her for being the third girl child born to her son.

The judge took into consideration the fact that the 76-year-old woman faces grave allegation of strangulating the infant to death when there was no one in the house. (HT file)

Justice VM Deshpande said that the court is required to look into the manner and brutality with which the offence is committed by the accused while considering his or her bail application.

“Therefore, merely because she is a lady aged about 76 years, is not sufficient cause for releasing her on bail,” said the judge while rejecting bail plea of Janabai Rathod from Jitvi in Chandrapur district.

Janabai had sought bail contending that she had been arrested only on the basis of suspicion and there was no cogent and admissible evidence implicating her in the brutal murder.

The judge took into consideration the fact that the 76-year-old woman faces grave allegation of strangulating the infant to death when there was no one in the house.

Janabai also pleaded innocence when her family members started looking for the child.

According to police, Janabai was the only adult in the house when the infant was found dead and the child’s body was hidden under cotton bales.

Janabai was arrested on the basis of circumstantial evidence.

Janabai had sought bail contending that she had been arrested only on the basis of suspicion. She contended there was no cogent and admissible evidence implicating her in the brutal murder. Justice Deshpande, however, refused to accept her plea.