The Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence awarded to a young woman and her lover for hacking to death the former's parents, two brothers and their wives and strangulating her 10-month-old nephew in Uttar Pradesh.
A bench headed by Chief Justice H L Dattu dismissed the appeals of Saleem and Shabnam who had challenged the death sentence awarded to them by Allahabad High Court in 2013.
"You (Shabnam) are also a mother. But you didn't show any mercy or affection to your family. Even you killed 10-month- old baby of your brother. We can't grant any relief," the bench which also comprised Justices S A Bobde and Arun Mishra said, while rejecting their plea to commute the sentence.
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The High Court had upheld the death sentence awarded to the duo by a sessions court in 2010.
Saleem and Shabnam were having an affair and wanted to get married but their relationship met with stiff opposition from the woman's family.
On April 15, 2008, Shabnam's entire family was wiped out and the woman initially pretended that her house in Amroha district of UP was attacked by unidentified assailants.
It came to light during investigation that she had abetted Saleem in the crime as she made her family members drink milk laced with sedatives before the attack and thereafter herself throttled her little nephew.
