Home / Crime and Justice / Court Frees Death Row Mom in Triple Child Murder Case
Court Frees Death Row Mom in Triple Child Murder Case
23 Sep
Summary
- High court acquitted a woman sentenced to death for her three children's murder.
- The court found the sole child witness's testimony contradictory and tutored.
- The surviving child's account differed significantly from his uncle's statement.
The Allahabad High Court has acquitted a woman, Priyanka, who had been sentenced to death by a trial court for the alleged murder of her three young children. A division bench also acquitted her alleged paramour, Ashish, who had been sentenced to life imprisonment. The court determined that the prosecution had not proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
The key to the acquittal lay in the testimony of the sole surviving child, aged eight. The high court found his account to be riddled with contradictions and evident signs of tutoring. This significantly undermined the prosecution's narrative.
The case involved the deaths of three children, aged six, five, and four, whose bodies were recovered on June 27, 2024, from the Sengur river in Auraiya. The prosecution alleged Priyanka and Ashish conspired to kill the children to continue their illicit relationship, an accusation both denied.
Further complicating the prosecution's case was the conflicting testimony between the surviving child and the first informant, Manish, who is the deceased husband's brother. The child claimed Manish was informed by him, while Manish stated he learned of the incident from a village pradhan, casting further doubt on the established facts.
