Delhi High Court Suspends Life Term Of Convicted Mother Who Murdered Her Stepson

On Tuesday, the Delhi High Court suspended the life sentence of a woman, who was convicted in 2018 for murdering her stepson. The condition laid by court was that the murderer will undertake social service during the period of her bail. Another reason cited by court was that her seven-year-old son was suffering due to the loss of care and company of his mother.

The woman has been in custody for around four years and three months.

As reported by The Indian Express, court has asked the woman to serve pro-bono at Pahal, an NGO based in Delhi, and undertake the tasks assigned to her keeping in view her education and other qualifications. While it will be the prerogative of the NGO to pay her any honorarium, it has asked the organisation’s general secretary to send a report with regard to her work to the investigating officer on a quarterly basis.

The court said,

In case it is found that the appellant is not willing to perform the pro-bono work of ‘Pahal’, it shall be open to the state to move an application for cancellation of bail granted to the appellant.

The court has also asked her to keep her mobile phone in working condition all the time and mark her attendance telephonically as well as by sharing location via phone before the IO once a month.

The court in the order noted,

While on the one hand, the appellant has been found to be guilty of serious and heinous crime of committing murder of her own minor stepson, on the other hand, the son of the appellant is suffering due to the loss of care and company of his mother.

The family of the appellant is poor and the father of the child is working as a rickshaw puller and has to work throughout the day to make both ends meet.