CHENNAI: In a rare gesture, the Madras High Court took pity on a mother who drank poison and passed it on to her two girls, and quashed the three-year prison sentence awarded to her by a trial court. When she survived, the children died. On 22 July 2016, Saathiya, a mother of three girls, poisoned her second daughter of three years and her third daughter at 1.5 months as well, “unable to bear the taunt of the society that she was an unfortunate woman to bear only female children”. During the trial, she gave birth to a fourth daughter.
Justice D Bharat Chakraborty, referring to the ‘Nalla Thangal Syndrome’ or Battered Woman Syndrome, said: “It is very sad that being a mother, the petitioner should be ashamed of giving birth to girls and attempt to commit suicide.” And to kill the children.” The judge, however, asked Saathiya to sign a bond giving a written undertaking to the HC that she would educate the remaining two girls at least up to graduation level.
