In Brief
A newborn baby girl died in a hospital within two hours of being handed to her mother. The trial court and High Court convicted the mother based on circumstantial evidence, finding her guilty of murder under s. 302 IPC, attributing a gender-based motive (preference for a male child). The Supreme Court reversed the conviction, holding that the circumstantial evidence chain was incomplete and the alleged motive entirely unsubstantiated. The family already had a son and showed no gender preference. The newborn exhibited distress signs from birth (no eye opening, no crying, oxygen dependence), suggesting possible natural death. Without complete circumstantial evidence or clear motive, the conviction was unsafe, and the appellant was acquitted and entitled to the benefit of doubt.
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