Jail inmate who delivered baby last month gets 2-month bail

SRINAGAR, SEP 06: The High Court of J&K and Ladakh has granted bail for a period of two months to a woman undertrial, who last month delivered a baby girl in north Kashmir.
Allowing an appeal filed by the woman against declining of extension in bail by the trial court, a bench of Justice Atul Sreedharan and Justice Mohan Lal granted two months’ bail while considering the wellbeing of the infant.

The woman had delivered a girl baby on August 2 and moved an application for an extension of her bail, which was declined by the trial Court and she was sent back to District Jail, Baramulla.
“The infant is just about a month old and with the onset of winter, she would be exposed to harsh conditions of low temperature in the prison,” the court said, adding, “Therefore, in consideration of the infant, we allow the instant appeal and grant interim bail to the appellant….for a period of two months from the date of her release.”
The court however imposed certain conditions and among others ordered that she shall submit two sureties of Rs 1 lakh each before the trial Court, where one of the sureties shall be a serving Government employee and that she shall appear before the Station House Officer, Police Station Sumbal once every week and register her presence.
She has been also asked not to leave the territorial jurisdiction of Jammu and Kashmir without seeking prior permission from the trial Court and that she shall present herself before the trial Court on each and every date of hearing unless exempted by the Court. She has also been asked to surrender before the trial Court on November 6 so as to be sent back to prison.
The trial court had earlier granted interim bail on medical grounds on account of her advanced stage of pregnancy of seven months.