SC upholds mother's life sentence for killing

Holding as "unusual" the conduct of a mother, the Supreme Court has confirmed the life sentence on a woman who axed to death her four-year-old son."Motherhood is one of the most precious gifts endowed upon mankind and there is no relationship more pristine and pure than that of a mother and her child. No mother in normal circumstances can tolerate even a scratch on the body of her child," a bench of justices P Sathasivam and H L Dattu observed in a judgement.

The apex court passed the judgement while dismissing the appeal of a tribal woman Satna Bai, charged with axing to death her minor son Kannilal in Chhattisgarh's Ambikapur district on August 18, 1996. "The appellant was found standing near the body of her son with a bloodstained axe in her hand. The normal reaction for any mother would have been to go hysterical and clutch the body of her son.

"But, what is the reaction of a mother in the present case? As stated by PW-1 and PW-2 in their evidence, who came near the scene of occurrence on hearing the cries of Anita and Sumitar (two other witnesses), the accused tried to flee from the scene of the crime before being restrained," the apex court said.