The Madras High Court recently reduced the life sentence of a woman convicted of setting her 13-year-old daughter on fire. Her life imprisonment has been commuted to 10 years in prison.
The court bench, comprising Justices PN Prakash (retired) and G Jayachandran, ruled that while the woman’s conviction under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) could not be upheld, she was found guilty under Section 304(1).
According to the court, the incident occurred after a quarrel between the mother and daughter over the latter’s disinterest in studies. Initially, the case was registered under Section 307 of IPC, but after the girl succumbed to her injuries four months later, it was changed to Section 302.
The tragedy unfolded when the 13-year-old girl, who struggled with her academics, was admitted to a government-aided residential school in Kovilpatti. After just eight days, she fled the hostel and returned home late at night. The following day, a heated argument erupted between her and her mother, which led to the mother pouring kerosene on the girl and setting her on fire in a fit of anger.
The father, who was asleep during the incident, rushed the victim to a nearby government hospital upon hearing her cries. The victim, suffering from 50% burns, gave a statement that led to the registration of a case under Section 307 of IPC. Despite receiving medical treatment for over four months, her condition worsened, and she eventually died.
The trial court later convicted the mother under Section 302 of IPC, sentencing her to life imprisonment and imposing a fine of Rs. 5,000. However, the mother challenged the conviction before the High Court, which questioned whether she intended to kill her daughter. The court concluded that the mother did not have the intent to commit murder and reduced her conviction to Section 304(1) of IPC, sentencing her to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs. 5,000.
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