The Madras High Court recently reduced the life sentence of a woman who was found guilty of setting her 13-year-old daughter on fire. The court changed her punishment to 10 years in prison.
A bench of Justice PN Prakash (retired) and Justice G Jayachandran said that the woman’s actions did not amount to murder under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Instead, they ruled that the correct charge should be under Section 304(1), which deals with culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
The court noted that the tragic incident happened after a fight between the mother and daughter. The girl was not interested in studies and had run away from a government hostel in Kovilpatti, where her parents had admitted her. She came back home late at night, which led to a quarrel the next morning.
During the heated argument, the angry mother poured kerosene on the girl and set her on fire. The girl suffered 50% burns, and her father rushed her to a government hospital after hearing her screams.
The police initially registered a case under Section 307 IPC (attempt to murder) based on the girl’s statement. She received medical treatment for over four months. Unfortunately, her condition worsened, and she died due to her injuries. The case was then changed to Section 302 IPC (murder), and the trial court sentenced the mother to life imprisonment and fined her ₹5,000.
The mother appealed against the conviction, saying she had no intention to kill her daughter. The High Court agreed and ruled that while her actions were serious, they did not amount to murder. The court said the case fell under Section 304(1) IPC, which covers unintentional killing due to sudden provocation.
As a result, the Madras High Court reduced the life sentence to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and maintained the ₹5,000 fine.
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