‘80 yrs of independence… people still prefer male child’: Bombay HC
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Mumbai: The Bombay High Court has denied bail to an elderly man accused of drowning his one-month-old granddaughter after the family was allegedly unhappy over the birth of a second girl child, observing that the preference for sons continues in India even 80 years after Independence.
“It is deeply unfortunate that, even after 80 years of independence, people in our country still prefer a male child. This is a classic example of the murder of a girl child, because she was the second daughter and the family does not want 2nd daughter,” The Indian Express quoted the court.
The bail plea was filed by Gopinath Janku Pradhan, an accused in a case registered in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district in 2023. Justice M.M. Nerlikar of the Nagpur Bench rejected his plea.
According to the case, the family did not want another girl after Pradhan’s son and daughter-in-law had their second daughter. The one-month-old baby was allegedly drowned in a water-filled tub.
The court noted that family members allegedly attempted to conceal the death and created a narrative that someone else had killed the child. The case diary also recorded that a story was circulated suggesting that an animal might have taken the baby away, after which the body was hurriedly buried.
A local resident who became suspicious informed the police. During the investigation, the baby’s body was exhumed and subjected to a postmortem examination. The examination found that the child died from asphyxia caused by drowning.
The court expressed deep concern over the continued preference for male children, noting that the baby was allegedly killed because the family did not want another girl.
Pradhan claimed he was innocent and pointed out that the child’s mother, another accused in the case, had already been granted bail. The court, however, said bail could not be granted after considering the circumstances of the case, the accused's conduct, and the manner in which the crime was allegedly committed.