She's 8 months pregnant, says HC, orders bail for woman convicted of murder

Pilibhit: A division bench of Allahabad high court, comprising Justices Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Prashant Kumar, directed Additional District and Sessions Judge in Pilibhit to release convict Geeta Devi on bail. Devi, sentenced to life imprisonment on Feb 22 this year for the murder of her 19-year-old nephew, Aman, on Aug 27, 2019.The HC, in its order dated Sept 9, noted that Geeta Devi is "presently 8 months pregnant." The order was issued following an appeal filed on medical grounds for suspension of her sentence and granting of bail.The FIR was initially lodged under IPC sections 302 (murder) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence) against unidentified persons. Based on the autopsy report and circumstantial evidence, Geeta Devi and her neighbour, Shyam Sundar, were accused of the crime. A witness testified that Devi had called the victim to her home before strangling him with Sundar's help. The witness also said he saw Aman's body inside Devi's house. However, police recovered the body around 2.30pm outside the doorstep of a neighbour, Banwari Lal. This led police to add IPC section 201 to the FIR.The trial court sentenced Geeta Devi to life imprisonment under section 302 and three years in prison under section 201, along with fines.The HC took note of inconsistencies, including unsubstantiated location of the body and witness testimony that did not support the prosecution's case. The court ordered Geeta Devi's release on bail, subject to furnishing a personal bond and sureties to the satisfaction of the trial court.The fine imposed on her was also suspended during the appeal, according to her lawyer, Jitendra Pal Singh.