A Delhi Court has awarded a life sentence to a woman for smothering to death her two minor daughters in 2018, terming it a "cold-blooded murder" and the rarest of rare cases.
The court observed that the gruesome offence shook the court’s conscience as mothers were idolised by society because of their nurturing role, sacrifices, emotional resilience and selflessness.
Announcing the punishment to Leelawati (32) who was earlier convicted for murder, Additional Sessions Judge Sachin Jain of Tis Hazari Court said considering the well-being of the two surviving children of the convict and since there was a possibility of her rehabilitation and reintegration into society, life term was more appropriate than a death sentence.
According to the prosecution, she brutally murdered her two daughters, aged five years and five months respectively, by smothering them on February 20, 2018.
In its order, the court said, "No doubt, mother is always seen as a saviour because of her nurturing role and perceived sacrifice and for that reason, society intends to idolise motherhood, expecting women to be selfless, nurturing and emotionally resilient.
"Therefore, the act of murder of her own two daughters shakes the conscience not only of the court but of the society at large. Further, the act of smothering both the daughters by the convict is a clear-cut cold-blooded murder, bringing the present case into the category of rare of the rarest case."
The court, however, said that the woman had two surviving children, a daughter (7) and a son (2), and their well-being and future needs had to be considered.
"The complete removal of their mother from their lives could have a profound and adverse impact on their upbringing. The convict is relatively young and there remains the possibility of her rehabilitation and reintegration into society after serving a substantial period of incarceration," the court said.
It said when the aggravating and mitigating circumstances were weighed, the scale tilted towards the latter and it would be appropriate to award her a life sentence instead of the death penalty.
It sentenced the convict to imprisonment for life and a fine of Rs 10,000.
The court further observed that there was no ground for payment under the Delhi Victims Compensation Scheme as the "beneficiary was the culprit" in the case.
"In the present case, this court is dealing with a peculiar case in which the convict is the real mother of the deceased victims or in other words the beneficiary is the culprit itself.
"Since both the girls/daughters/deceased have already lost their lives and the beneficiary is the culprit, who committed the gruesome murder and the father tried his level best to save the convict, instead of fighting for justice, therefore, no ground for grant of compensation is made out in the present case," the court order read.
Published - September 05, 2024 10:51 am IST
