‘Unfortunate people still prefer male child,’ says Bombay HC, refuses bail to man who killed granddaughter

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Justice M M Nerlikar of the HC’s Nagpur Bench, in an order passed on September 9, 2026, rejected the bail plea of the accused, Gopinath Janku Pradhan. File | Photo Credit: Vivek Bendre

The Bombay High Court has refused bail to a man arrested for killing his one-month-old granddaughter as the family did not want another girl child, noting it was unfortunate that almost 80 years since Independence, people still prefer a boy.

Justice M M Nerlikar of the HC's Nagpur Bench, in an order passed on September 9, 2026, rejected the bail plea of the accused, Gopinath Janku Pradhan.

The case against Pradhan was lodged in 2023 by the police in Gadchiroli district in eastern Maharashtra under the charges of murder and destruction of evidence. He was accused of drowning his one-month-old granddaughter in a tub as she was the second girl child born to his son and daughter-in-law.

Pradhan, in his bail plea, claimed innocence and pointed out that the mother of the deceased child, who was also an accused in the case, has already been granted bail.

The Bench of Justice Nerlikar, in its order, noted that it was "deeply unfortunate that even after 80 years of independence, people in our county still prefer a male child." It added that the infant was murdered because the family did not want another girl child.

"The family, all accused in the case, made a hue and cry that someone killed the child and created a scene that some animal may have taken away the infant," the Bench said, adding the cremation of the child was also done in a hurried manner.

A local resident, upon suspicion, informed the police of the incident pursuant to which a case was lodged. Subsequently, the child's body was exhumed and the post-mortem examination revealed the cause of death as asphyxia due to drowning.

The court, while refusing bail to Pradhan, noted the conduct of the accused and the manner in which the crime was carried out does not warrant any relief to him.

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