Mother killed her two children with lover, Bihar court gives death to both
A court in Bihar's Jhanjharpur, in a landmark verdict, has sentenced a mother and her lover to death for the murder of her two young
A court in Bihar's Jhanjharpur, in a landmark verdict, has sentenced a mother and her lover to death for the murder of her two young children, ruling that the crime fell into the “rarest of rare” category. The verdict, delivered by District and Additional Sessions Judge-II Abhishek Ranjan, is believed to be the first instance in the history of the Jhanjharpur civil court where capital punishment has been awarded. The court convicted Anita Devi and her lover, Jai Prakash Mandal, for murdering four-year-old Prince Kumar and 18-month-old Srishti Kumari, whom they allegedly considered obstacles to their relationship. Read Full Story Both convicts were sentenced to death under Section 302 of the IPC and fined Rs 50,000 each. They were also awarded seven years of rigorous imprisonment under Section 201/34 for destroying evidence, along with a fine of Rs 10,000 each. CHILDREN KILLED TO CLEAR PATH FOR RELATIONSHIP According to the prosecution, Anita, wife of Pramod Kumar Safi of Narhi village in Madhubani district's Andhramath police station area, left home with her two children on July 3, 2023. When she failed to return, her family began searching for them. Investigators later alleged that Anita and Jai Prakash Mandal had conspired to eliminate the children because they viewed them as an obstacle to living together. The prosecution said the duo took the children near the Balan River under the pretext of visiting Anita's maternal home, strangled them and threw their bodies into the river.
While the body of Prince was recovered, Srishti was swept away by the river's strong currents and could not be found. VILLAGERS CAUGHT ACCUSED, HANDED THEM TO POLICE The crime came to light when local residents reportedly grew suspicious of the pair's movements near the river. Villagers chased them, caught them, assaulted them and later handed them over to police. An FIR was registered at Ghoghardiha police station on July 10, 2023, on the complaint of the children's father, Pramod Kumar Safi. Both accused have remained in judicial custody since July 11, 2023. During the trial, Public Prosecutor Dev Shankar Jha described the killings as a crime that shook society's conscience and sought the maximum punishment. Lawyers Jagdish Prasad Yadav and Balram Yadav represented the complainant, while Baleshwar Gurmaita and Shivchandra Kumar appeared for the defence. COURT CALLS CRIME 'EXTREMELY CRUEL AND INHUMAN' Relying on witness testimonies, circumstantial evidence and documentary proof presented by the prosecution, the court held both accused guilty. In its judgment, the court observed that the very mother entrusted with the care and protection of her children had joined hands with her lover to brutally kill them. Calling the act “extremely cruel, inhuman and shocking,” the court ruled that the case met the threshold of the “rarest of rare” doctrine, making capital punishment the appropriate sentence.
The BriefWire