14:49
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The Gujarat High Court has granted bail to a woman accused of beating her two-year-old daughter to death for demanding food, and said the incident was a "heart-wrenching reminder" that hunger is not merely an economic issue but a matter of human dignity, justice, and conscience.
In its order passed last week, the court of Justice Hasmukh D Suthar said that when starvation drives a mother to such an extreme act, such failure is collective rather than individual, and added that the tragedy should be viewed as a clarion call for compassion and a renewed commitment to ensuring that no mother or child is left to suffer the indignity of starvation.
The court allowed the regular bail plea of Lakhiben Solanki, a mother of three children, who was arrested in March 2026 for allegedly beating her daughter to death under the case registered at Varachha police station in Surat.
As per the prosecution, the accused beat up her daughter Eesha after getting annoyed by the latter asking for food due to hunger.
"Herein, the said incident is not merely an individual tragedy but a profound indictment of society and raises fundamental questions of social justice and morality," the court said.
"This court is of the considered view that social justice is founded on the principle that every human being is entitled to basic necessities such as food, shelter, healthcare, and dignity. When starvation drives a mother to such an extreme act, such failure is collective rather than individual," it observed in its judgment.
It further noted that the incident reflects the failure of social welfare mechanisms and highlights the moral responsibility of the state and society to protect vulnerable families, especially women and children. -- PTI
