The Punjab and Haryana high court on Wednesday commuted death sentence of a Ludhiana woman convicted of killing a toddler in 2021, to 30 years of rigorous imprisonment without premature release The convict, Neelam (32), was awarded death penalty by a trial court in April 2024.
The family had initially alleged that Neelam nursed the grudge as father of the child had restrained his wife from talking to Neelam. Later, prosecution had claimed that child father worked in police and used to bring things for his children. Seeing the same, Neelam’s own children raised similar demands and as she could not fulfil their demands. Hence, she took the extreme step.
Prosecution had claimed that convict had a longstanding feud with victim’s family members. The prosecution could not establish a clear motive behind the murder, an argument vehemently asserted by her lawyers. The family expressed their reasons as to why the accused could have nurtured her grudge against the family.
Neelam kidnapped the child on November 28, 2021, took her on a scooter to a secluded place and buried her alive in the Shimlapuri area of the city.
However, the court said that this argument is not a sufficient ground to dislodge the prosecution case in view “the overwhelming evidence against her”.
let the children of the accused not lose their mother to a point of no return While a mother has lost her daughter. “..the present case, even though the offence is gruesome and displace totality, however, it may not be a case warranting capital punishment as the only punishment to be imposed. It cannot be held by this court that the accused is beyond reform and is a threat to society at large. It is evident that the accused also has children of her own and has not exhibited any disorderly or disruptive behaviour. She thus cannot be perceived to be beyond reform and incapable of co-existence in harmony,” the bench of justice Vinod S Bhardwaj and justice Ravinder Malik observed. “We also ponder whether capital punishment is beginning of a sentence or end of it. A sentence which affords time for introspection and repent each day for the crime committed is a sentence served. The past, which serves as a reminder on every new morning, to make good for the sin committed and make efforts for some meaningful contribution. A society is not built upon denying to the children, what their mother stole but by ushering in some hope,” it added.
