New Delhi: In a case that has gripped the city, a Delhi court has sentenced a woman to life imprisonment for the smothering deaths of her two minor daughters, describing the 2018 incident as a “cold-blooded murder” and a rare and shocking betrayal of maternal trust.

According to Kashmir Media Service, the sentencing of Leelawati, 32, follows her conviction for the murder of her children, aged five years and five months. The decision was issued by Additional Sessions Judge Sachin Jain at the Tis Hazari court. Jain highlighted the severity and rarity of the case but opted for a life sentence over the death penalty, considering the potential for the convict’s rehabilitation and the well-being of her two surviving children.

The court’s ruling noted the profound breach of societal expectations placed on mothers, underscored by the judge’s remarks on the traditional view of mothers as nurturing and selfless figures. This societal idealization made the crimes particularly heinous and unsettling.

The prosecution detailed how Leelawati brutally ended her daughters’ lives on February 20, 2018, by smothering them in a calculated act. The court’s decision reflects both a condemnation of the act and a consideration of broader familial and societal impacts, emphasizing the tragedy’s extended reach beyond the immediate victims.