Chandigarh, February 12:
A man serving a life sentence for the murder of his three-year-old daughter has been acquitted by the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The bench, comprising Justice Sureshwar Thakur and Justice Vikas Suri, ruled that the accused was legally insane at the time of the crime.
Case Details
According to the prosecution, in 2011, the accused’s wife witnessed him strangling their three-year-old daughter and tried to stop him, but he did not relent. He believed that his daughter was a “witch” and would harm his son. Acting on this belief, he struck the child on the head with a tawa (flat iron pan), resulting in her death. After committing the crime, he fled the scene.
On March 22, 2013, a court in Panchkula sentenced him to life imprisonment. He later challenged the verdict in the High Court.
Mental Illness Argument
The petitioner’s lawyer argued that his client suffered from a severe mental disorder and was unaware of his actions. Medical reports and witness statements presented in court confirmed that the accused had been experiencing delusions and hallucinations for the past two years.
Instead of seeking medical treatment, the family took him to a tantric (occult practitioner) for exorcism. Following his arrest, he was admitted to a psychiatric hospital, where doctors diagnosed him with psychosis.
High Court’s Verdict
Referring to Section 84 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the High Court ruled that individuals suffering from severe mental illness cannot be held criminally liable. The court emphasized that criminal intent is necessary to establish guilt, but in this case, the accused was unable to distinguish between right and wrong.
Considering his mental condition, the High Court acquitted him and ordered his transfer to a mental health facility instead of a prison.
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