Kerala HC acquits woman sentenced to life for murder of newborn baby

Kerala High Court acquitted a woman sentenced to life imprisonment for the 2009 murder of her newborn baby.

The bench of Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V and K V Jayakumar ruled that the prosecution failed to prove murder charges beyond reasonable doubt.

The court cited missing links in circumstantial evidence, including unrecovered weapons and possibility of third-party intervention.

The alleged motive of concealing illegitimate pregnancy was rejected because the sister-in-law and a neighbor knew about the pregnancy.

The court granted the benefit of doubt, ordering the woman's release unless required in another case.