Couple convicted for killing baby conceived before marriage

The High Court on Thursday convicted a couple for culpable homicide over killing their 24-day-old baby in Kukke Subramanya in 2011, as the baby was conceived before their marriage.

Shekhar V Harikanth, an Army man, and Nagarathna, both natives of Kumta taluk in Uttara Kannada district, were in love and Nagarathna conceived from their relationship. Four months later, the couple married and five months after that, the child was born.

For the fear that her conception before marriage would come out in the public, the couple travelled to the Kukke Subramanya temple in March 2011, murdered the baby and abandoned its body on the bridge across River Kumaradhara.

The lower court acquitted the couple as the prosecution failed to gather enough evidence against the couple. The state government filed a criminal appeal against the couple and produced evidence of the incident.

A division bench comprising Justice Mohan M Shantangoudar and Justice R B Budihal convicted the couple to seven years of imprisonment and imposed Rs 1 lakh each as penalty on them.