Ahmedabad: A city sessions court here on Wednesday denied regular bail to 33-year-old Monika Makwana, who was arrested last month following the death of her 2.5-month-old daughter from falling into a water tank.As the state govt and Monika’s husband, Deepak Makwana, opposed her bail plea, the court considered the reasons given by the mother for not raising an alarm after the baby fell into the tank and for placing a lid on it. Additional sessions judge J I Patel observed, “It prima facie appears that the accused committed an act unbecoming of a mother, and hence it does not seem just and reasonable to grant bail to the petitioner/accused at this stage.“The woman was arrested after her husband filed a complaint with the Amraiwadi police for culpable homicide not amounting to murder. According to the complaint, the woman admitted to him that she slipped, causing the child to fall into the water tank. Fearing her in-laws due to her negligence, she panicked and, instead of raising an alarm, placed a lid on the tank. She later raised an alarm claiming that the baby was missing.In her bail plea, the woman argued that she did not inform anyone about the incident out of fear. She also submitted that her seven-year-old daughter requires her care and company.However, public prosecutor Sudhir Brahmbhatt and the husband’s counsel opposed the bail plea. The husband’s side submitted that the woman exhibited criminal mentality and obsessive behaviour. They argued that if granted regular bail, she might commit similar acts against the elder daughter.
