Delhi: Mother gets life term for murdering 2 minor daughters
What's the story
A Delhi court has sentenced a woman to life imprisonment for the cold-blooded murder of her two minor daughters in 2018.
The court described the crime as a "rarest of rare case" that deeply disturbed its conscience.
Leelawati (32), who was found guilty of murder, was sentenced to life imprisonment by Additional Sessions Judge Sachin Jain of Tis Hazari court.
Sentencing factors
Court considers rehabilitation, children's well-being in sentencing
The court considered the possibility of Leelawati's rehabilitation and the well-being of her two surviving children before deciding on life imprisonment as a more appropriate punishment than the death penalty.
The prosecution revealed that Leelawati brutally murdered her daughters, aged five and five months, by smothering them on February 20, 2018.
The court said that the heinous crime shook the court's conscience because mothers were idolized by society for their caring role, sacrifices, emotional strength, and selflessness.
Societal norms
Court's statement on motherhood and societal expectations
In its order, the court said, "Mother is always seen as a savior because of her nurturing role and perceived sacrifice and for that reason, society intends to idolize motherhood."
"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...is a clear-cut cold-blooded murder, bringing the present case into the category of rare of the rarest case."
Mitigating circumstances
Court weighs impact on surviving children, rehabilitation potential
However, the court stated that 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 stated that while weighing aggravating and mitigating circumstances, the scale shifted toward the latter, resulting in a life sentence rather than the death penalty.
Compensation denial
Court denies compensation, imposes fine on convict
The court imposed a fine of ₹10,000 on Leelawati in addition to her life sentence.
It also denied any compensation under the Delhi Victims Compensation Scheme as the "beneficiary was the culprit" in this case.
The court order read, "Since both the girls/daughters/deceased have already lost their lives and the beneficiary is the culprit...no ground for grant of compensation is made out in this case."