New Delhi, Nov 27 (IANS) The Delhi High Court Friday refused to grant bail to a woman charged with killing her newborn girl child soon after giving birth in the capital’s Lady Hardinge Hospital September 2006.
According to the prosecution, Gudia took the step as she did not want a girl child and feared the reaction of her husband and in-laws.

Justice V.K.Jain refused to grant bail to Gudia but asked the trial court to conclude proceedings by Jan 31, 2010.

“This court, however, will ensure a speedy trial for the accused and will impress upon the prosecution to examine the witnesses at the earliest,” the court said, noting Gudia had been in custody since her arrest in 2006.

Police have slapped a murder charge against Gudia, claiming she killed her girlchild soon after her birth on September 2, 2006, in the hospital. In the absence of any eyewitness, police have relied heavily on circumstantial evidence, contending that as nobody entered Gudia’s ward after the birth and, because she was alone with the child, the crime must have been committed by her.

The prosecution has also cited some medical reports that suggest the child died due to strangulation, as apparent from the marks on her neck.

The defence counsel sought bail for Gudia, arguing that all material witnesses had already been examined and since the public witnesses have not supported the prosecution’s case, there was no valid reason to keep her in jail.