The Bombay High Court commutes death sentence of sisters to life imprisonment who were convicted of child abduction and murder. India seems to be more serious about rape and women-related issues but children who cannot express their concerns are given less priority in the system. The state could have set a norm but their delay has failed to protect the interests of the children and justice for them.
The Half-sisters Renuka Shinde and Seema Gavit along with their mother Anjanabai were found guilty of kidnapping 13 children and killing at least five of them. Their mother died during the proceedings, while both were sentenced to death for their heinous act.
Earlier, the sisters Renuka Shinde and Seema Gavit mercy petition was rejected by President in 2014 and the same was not entertained by the Supreme Court in year 2006.
Thursday, the division bench of Justices Nitin Jamdar and Sarang Kotwal commuted sentence of two sisters to life imprisonment citing the inordinate delay in disposing of their mercy petitions.
The sisters had filed the mercy petition citing the “delay in execution is causing mental torture to them”. The order was reserved by the court in teh end of December 2021.
The sisters were convicted by Kolhapur trial court in year 2001 for kidnapping 13 children and killing 6 children between year 1990 to 1996. The sisters alongwith their mother were using the children as cover to snatch purses and chains.
The court while denied their prayer of releasing them stating “The crime committed is heinous, the brutality shown is beyond words to condemn.”
The sisters mercy petition was pending to the State government since 2014, and the bench noted a delay of 7 years, 10 months and 15 days in deciding their mercy petition.