NEW DELHI: An anganwadi worker leading a happy family life in a Chhattisgarh village inexplicably bludgeoned her daughters, aged five and three, to death with a crowbar, cried incessantly after the act and claimed she was possessed by "invisible powers" at that time.
She was convicted by both trial court and HC for murder and given a life term. But a Supreme Court bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and N Kotiswar Singh on Monday found that the intention to murder was completely absent.
Justice Singh reasoned that being possessed by 'invisible powers' could be a temporary medical condition and converted her conviction to culpable homicide not amounting to murder . The bench ordered her release on finding that she had been behind bars for nearly 10 years.
'Not common for rustic people to be aware of mental illness'
Referring to her blabbering that "she is mata, Budhi Dai etc" 15 days prior to the incident on June 5, 2015, and the fact that she was taken to hospital for consultation with a psychiatrist, Justice Singh said in rural settings, where superstitions run deep and mental problems often get confused with control of 'invisible powers' over a person, it was possible that she had a sudden bout of mental disorder leading to the killings.
"If there were no motivating factors at all which impelled her to commit such a gruesome crime in a domestic environment which was otherwise normal in all respects, it is totally inexplicable and incomprehensible how a mother who loves her children and who had cordial relations with her husband could resort to such a violent act and be attributed with the 'intention to cause death' of her beloved children, except for coming under some influence or forces beyond her control as claimed by her," the bench said.
"It is not common for rustic persons to be aware of various mental disorders/illnesses such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, that may temporarily impair the mental condition of an individual. Often, these disorders are unrecognised and remain untreated as it may be difficult to identify the symptoms and they do not seek proper , resulting in such medical/mental conditions which can be misinterpreted or confused with spells or influence of invisible forces based on superstitions," it said.
She was convicted by both trial court and HC for murder and given a life term. But a Supreme Court bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and N Kotiswar Singh on Monday found that the intention to murder was completely absent.
Justice Singh reasoned that being possessed by 'invisible powers' could be a temporary medical condition and converted her conviction to culpable homicide not amounting to murder . The bench ordered her release on finding that she had been behind bars for nearly 10 years.
'Not common for rustic people to be aware of mental illness'
Referring to her blabbering that "she is mata, Budhi Dai etc" 15 days prior to the incident on June 5, 2015, and the fact that she was taken to hospital for consultation with a psychiatrist, Justice Singh said in rural settings, where superstitions run deep and mental problems often get confused with control of 'invisible powers' over a person, it was possible that she had a sudden bout of mental disorder leading to the killings.
"If there were no motivating factors at all which impelled her to commit such a gruesome crime in a domestic environment which was otherwise normal in all respects, it is totally inexplicable and incomprehensible how a mother who loves her children and who had cordial relations with her husband could resort to such a violent act and be attributed with the 'intention to cause death' of her beloved children, except for coming under some influence or forces beyond her control as claimed by her," the bench said.
"It is not common for rustic persons to be aware of various mental disorders/illnesses such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, that may temporarily impair the mental condition of an individual. Often, these disorders are unrecognised and remain untreated as it may be difficult to identify the symptoms and they do not seek proper , resulting in such medical/mental conditions which can be misinterpreted or confused with spells or influence of invisible forces based on superstitions," it said.
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Perishers - 29th April 2025
