In a significant ruling, the Kerala High Court has acquitted a woman accused of murdering her two children by throwing them into the Moolampilly River, citing lack of substantial evidence and motive.
The bench, comprising Justice P.B. Suresh Kumar and Justice C. Pratheep Kumar, overturned the conviction and life sentence previously imposed by the Additional Sessions Judge, North Paravur. The prosecution’s case was primarily based on the argument that a trivial domestic dispute over buying ice cream could not justify such a heinous act. The court remarked, “We cannot believe, even for a moment that a mother for such a silly reason would throw her own children into the river and murder them.”
Case Background:
- The woman and her two children went missing on December 4, 2015. She was found alive in the river, while her children, aged 7 and 4, drowned. Their bodies were recovered two days later.
- Initially, the police registered a case suggesting that the woman had jumped into the river with her children, leading to allegations of murder after a lengthy investigation.
The trial court had convicted the woman under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code, primarily relying on the “last seen” theory, asserting that the accused failed to explain the circumstances of her children’s deaths. However, the High Court found this insufficient, emphasizing that circumstantial evidence must create a complete chain pointing unequivocally to guilt, ruling out all other possibilities.
The court underscored key principles governing circumstantial evidence, including the necessity of establishing facts that are consistent solely with the hypothesis of guilt. In this case, the absence of direct evidence and significant time gaps between the last sightings of the children and the discovery of their bodies left room for doubt about the woman’s culpability.
Ultimately, the High Court determined that the prosecution had not met the burden of proof, leading to the acquittal of the accused. The court set aside the prior judgment, highlighting the necessity for conclusive evidence in criminal cases.
Read More: