Man gets life term for killing live-in partner's toddler daughter

A man has been sentenced to life imprisonment by a Delhi court for beating to death his live-in partner's three-year-old daughter with a rolling pin as the woman was not agreeing to marry him.

The court said it was a pre-mediated crime as the man had a motive to commit the offence.

Additional Sessions Judge Lalit Kumar convicted Narej Sheikh for the offence of murder under the Indian Penal Code (IPC). It said that he had beaten the child with an intention to kill her because her mother, with whom he was in a live-in relationship, was not agreeing to marry him.

"Since the child was given beatings by the accused (Sheikh) and he was very well aware about the tender age of the child, now it can be said there was premeditation in the commission of crime, even accused had motive to commit offence against the deceased. It is clear that the accused had intention to kill the deceased," the court said.

The court said the victim's mother was entitled for compensation under Delhi Government Compensation Scheme as she was not living with her husband and referred it to Delhi State Legal Services Authority (DLSA) for consideration. It also asked DLSA to release at least minimum compensation prescribed to the victim of murder case immediately