New Delhi: A Delhi court has convicted a couple for abandoning their premature and medically vulnerable daughter in a hospital, ruling that parents cannot escape their responsibility simply by leaving a child in a medical facility.
Baby was born premature and needed intensive care
The girl was born at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital on December 12, 2014. As she was underweight and suffering from medical complications, she was admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
The parents subsequently left the hospital and failed to resume care even after the child was discharged from the NICU. Hospital authorities made repeated attempts to contact them, but they did not return to take responsibility for their daughter.
Court rejects claim that hospital care meant no abandonment
Additional Sessions Judge Sunil Kumar rejected the defence argument that leaving the baby at a specialised hospital showed an intention to ensure treatment rather than abandon her.
The court held that the offence centred on the intention to completely abandon the child. The prosecution also relied on DNA evidence that established the couple as the biological parents.
The child was later handed over to Nirmal Chhaya for care on March 12, 2015. She died a few days later. Reports stated that her premature birth and resulting health complications had left her particularly vulnerable.
Couple convicted under child abandonment law
The court convicted the parents under Section 317 of the Indian Penal Code, which deals with the exposure or abandonment of a child below 12 years by a parent or person having care of the child.
The provision carries imprisonment of up to seven years, a fine, or both. The court is expected to hear arguments on the quantum of punishment in the coming week.