Couple gets life sentence for female infanticide in Nalgonda

NALGONDA: The District Principal and Sessions Court, on Tuesday, awarded the life sentence to a couple for murdering their newborn baby girl at Padamati thanda of PA Pally mandal in Nalgonda district on February 4, 2017.

According to the chargesheet filed by the cops, the accused persons, Ramawath Jayaram and Ramawath Nagmani, a tribal couple, killed their third-born child in a case of female infanticide. The child was just 45-days-old during the time of the incident.

As per the chargesheet, the couple was first blessed with a baby girl a couple of years ago. Later, Nagmani conceived again and gave birth to another girl child, though the couple was expecting a boy. However, the child died soon due to ill-health.

When Nagmani was  pregnant for the third time in 2016, both of them were certain that it would be a boy and when she gave birth to a girl child for the third time, the couple was completely disappointed. As they did not want to raise another girl child, Jayaram and Nagmani decided to neglect the kid’s health. Upon learning about this, Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and Child Development Project Officer (CDPO) swung into action and met the couple.

The officials counselled them and got their permission to admit the infant into a Sishu Griha. Meanwhile, Jayaram and Nagmani opposed this and assured the officials that they would take care of the child. Believing their promise, the authorities left without taking the child. However, on February 4, 2017, the couple poisoned the girl child and tried to convince the authorities that the infant died due to illness.

As local CDPO Bhukia Sakkubai was not convinced with their ‘story’, she filed a complaint at the Gudipalli police station and sought a comprehensive investigation into the incident. Soon after getting the plaint, Konda Mallepally CI Shivaram Reddy and team started investigation and found out that Jayaram and Nagmani were behind the crime. The court also imposed a fine of `5,000 on each of the accused persons.