Kozhikode: A court here sentenced the father and step mother of a 7-year-old girl child named Aditi S. Namboothiri to rigorous imprisonment on charges of starving the child to death.
The father, Subramanian Namboothiri of Thattekkat Illam, Bilathikulam, Kozhikode, has also been fined rupees seven lakh. The prosecution, however failed to prove the murder of the child.
Aditi was subjected to brutal torture for a month and succumbed to the injuries, the chargesheet, which listed Subramanian Namboothiri as first accused and his wife Devika alias Ramlath as second accused, said.
The accused were slapped with charges of murder, infliction of injuries with hand and weapons and and also charges under sections which prohibits atrocities against children.
A month before the death of Aditi, charges of attempted murder was also slapped on the first accused for roughing up his elder brother Arun S. Namboothiri. The 425-page listed 45 witnesses including Arun Namboothiri.
It was on April 30 Aditi S. Namboothiri, a student of Class I of BEM school in Bilathikulam, Kozhikode died at a private hospital. Subramanian Namboothiri and Devika took Aditi to a private hospital on April 29 claiming that the child was struck with epilepsy.
On detecting bruises and burn injuries, the doctor informed the police. The accused were arrested by the police the next day on murder charges.
Since the chargesheet was filed within 90 days of the arrest, the accused had lost the chance to seek bail. The parents of the girl have been languishing in Kozhikode district jail ever since their arrests on April 29.