A court in Thane has acquitted a 36-year-old woman who was accused of murdering her five-month-old son in December 2021. The woman had been charged with drowning her infant in a water drum. The Principal District and Sessions Judge, S.B. Agrawal, delivered the judgment on January 20, clearing the woman of all charges after finding that there was insufficient evidence to prove her guilt.
The prosecution had alleged that on December 24, 2021, the woman threw her baby into a water drum placed outside her home in Kalwa’s Saiba Nagar locality, leading to his tragic death. The woman initially reported to the police that her child had gone missing from the hammock in which he had been placed to sleep. She claimed an unknown person had abducted him, prompting the authorities to open a case of kidnapping.
During their investigation, police reviewed CCTV footage from the area. The footage showed two unidentified women walking around the vicinity at the time of the incident, but there was no evidence linking them to the disappearance of the baby. Later, the infant`s body was found in a water drum outside the neighbour`s house, and an autopsy confirmed that the cause of death was drowning. Despite this, the court found the evidence lacking in crucial areas.
The court`s ruling highlighted that there was no direct or circumstantial evidence that linked the woman to the crime. None of the witnesses were able to provide testimony that definitively pointed to her involvement. Even the woman’s father-in-law, who was a key prosecution witness, testified that the woman had been actively searching for her child and had raised suspicions about the two unknown women seen in the CCTV footage.
Further investigations revealed that forensic evidence, including the infant’s blood sample, was unsuitable for testing. Additionally, the viscera report was not submitted to the court. The judge observed that there was absolutely no material that could infer the woman`s involvement in the crime. The prosecution failed to present any credible circumstances or evidence that pointed to her guilt.
The judge concluded that the woman could not be held responsible for the tragic death of her child, stating that there was no evidence to substantiate the charges of murder and causing the disappearance of evidence. As a result, the woman was acquitted of all charges.
As per PTI reports, the case has raised significant questions regarding the adequacy of evidence presented in court and the challenges of proving guilt in such sensitive cases.
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