Hyderabad, Jan. 24 -- In a landmark ruling, the Telangana High Court on Friday, January 23, quashed the death sentence awarded to a mother from Suryapet district who killed her seven-month-old daughter, citing the long-term mental illness that left her unaware of her actions.

Bhanothu Bharati was convicted by the Suryapet district court in April 2025 for the gruesome murder of her daughter, Elias Lasya Elias, on April 15, 2021, in Mekalapati Thanda of Mote Mandal. Afflicted with paranoid schizophrenia, Bharati believed slitting the infant's throat and removing her tongue would ward off a "serpent curse."

HC sets aside lower court's order

The lower court had imposed capital punishment, but the High Court bench of Justice K Lakshman and ...