A WOMAN AWARDED A LIFE SENTENCE FOR KILLING HER CHILD - PUNE

A 34-year-old woman named Swati Malvadkar tried to commit suicide after killing her three-year-old son. The woman had been awarded life imprisonment by the additional sessions of Judge GP Agrawal. While passing the order, the Court observed that a mother is the protector of her child, but there are instances in the history of humankind where a mother became the killer of her child. In this instant case, an innocent 3-year-old boy was killed by her mother, who unjustly seems to have preferred to adopt her irrational point of view. 

Shrikant, the woman's brother-in-law, informed that his brother, Vikram, and Swati tied knots in May 2013. They gave birth to a son named Nishigandh. On August 2, 2016, Vikram left for work; Shrikant received a call from Vikram informing that Swati was not taking calls. The complainant immediately reached the house and saw the child and his mother lying unconscious. The complainant, along with the neighbors, took them to the hospital. Nishigandh was declared dead, and Swati was under treatment. A suicide note was also found in the boy's pants, in which it was stated that she was responsible for disturbing the family and could not bear it.

Additional public prosecutor Leena Pathak examined various witnesses during the trial, and it was proved that the accused gave poison to the toddler and consumed it as well. The medical report confirmed the same. 

The Court observed, "Accused feeling to be the cause for the distraction of family and accused had chosen not only to end her life but also to release the pain of her child. The police booked the accused u/s 302, 328, and 309 of the Indian Penal Code.

Author: Papiha Ghoshal