3 days ago
Gauhati High Court Acquits Mother in Infant’s 2016 Killing
A mother was convicted of killing her baby and sentenced to life in prison.
The case was from 2016, when the baby was 38 days old.
The mother’s husband had reported that the baby disappeared during the night.
The mother allegedly told police that she had killed the baby and thrown the body into a river.
The Gauhati High Court said this confession could not be used as evidence because police pressure may have affected it.
The judges also said the trial court should have considered postpartum psychosis, a serious condition that can happen after childbirth.
They did not decide whether the mother had that condition.
Because the conviction depended on evidence the court found inadmissible, it acquitted her.
The Gauhati High Court set aside a mother’s conviction and life sentence for killing her 38-day-old daughter.
The court said her confession was inadmissible because a woman head constable was present when it was recorded, raising concerns about police influence.
The mother’s husband reported in 2016 that the infant had gone missing during the night.
The court noted that postpartum psychosis can cause severe symptoms and should have been considered at trial.
The judges said they did not need to determine whether the mother actually had postpartum psychosis to rule that the conviction could not stand.
- Who
- A mother convicted of killing her 38-day-old daughter; the appeal was heard by Justices M Zothankhuma and Rajesh Mazumdar.
- What
- The Gauhati High Court set aside her conviction and life sentence and acquitted her of murder.
- Where
- The Gauhati High Court heard the appeal; the alleged body disposal was in the Dikhow River.
- When
- The infant went missing in 2016; the High Court allowed the appeal on October 6, with the year not specified in the article.
- Why
- The court found that the confession was inadmissible because of concerns about police influence, and said postpartum psychosis should have been considered at trial.
Key facts
- Infant’s age
- 38 days old, described as one month and eight days
- Case year
- 2016
- Trial court sentence
- Life imprisonment, imposed in September 2023
- Appeal outcome
- Conviction set aside; mother acquitted of murder
- High Court judges
- M Zothankhuma and Rajesh Mazumdar
- Court’s concern about confession
- A woman head constable signed the confession, leading the court to find it inadmissible because the accused could not be considered free from police pressure or influence.
- Postpartum psychosis
- The court described it as a rare, severe condition that can develop after childbirth, but did not decide whether the mother had it.
Quotes
Gauhati High Court
The court that heard the woman's appeal.
“Her confessional statement is to the effect that she was mentally unwell and that she did not like her daughter from the day she was born. On trying to understand the case where a mother does not like her newborn child, we have come across rare cases of infanticide due to Postpartum Psychosis”
indianexpress.com
“The same makes the said confessional statement inadmissible as evidence, as the accused cannot be said to be completely free from police pressure or influence at the time of making her confession”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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