Renuka Shinde

Status

Renuka Shinde was sentenced to death on June 29, 2001. The High Court upheld the death sentence on September 9, 2004, and the Supreme Court confirmed the death sentence on August 31, 2006.

People

• Renuka Shinde — sister convicted for killing children; part of a gang that kidnapped children and forced them into begging and petty thefts
• Seema Mohan Gavit — Renuka’s sister; convicted for killing five children; sentenced to death alongside Renuka
• Anjanabai Gavit — mother of Seema and Renuka; arrested and charged; died during trial
• Kiran Shinde — Renuka’s husband; turned approver and gave details to the police; charges were dropped and he was acquitted
• Ashish — Renuka’s son from her first marriage; used by Renuka as defence when Renuka was caught pickpocketing at the Chatursinghi temple in Pune
• Santosh — one-year-old son of a beggar woman; first kidnapping victim
• Swapnil — a seven-month-old baby
• Anjali — one of the victims named in the case (also identified as “Anjali alias Pinki”)
• Shradha — victim
• Gauri — victim
• Pankaj — victim
• Kranti — Anjanabai’s stepdaughter; went missing; kidnapping complaint filed on October 22, 1996; sisters confessed to killing Kranti in Pune under their mother’s instructions
• Bhavna — an 18-month-old victim
• Naresh — a two-year-old victim
• Mohan — Anjanabai’s second husband; Renuka’s father in the family narrative; abandoned Anjanabai and moved in with another woman named Pratibha
• Pratibha — Mohan’s second wife
• Fehmida Sayyed — also sentenced to death by the Bombay High Court for the twin bomb blasts in Mumbai in 2003; gave company to Renuka
• Aseem Saroday — Pune-based human rights lawyer who commented on “Their ordinariness makes their actions even more horrifying.”
• Ujjwal Nikam — special public prosecutor who sought the death penalty; recalled details of the case
• Sudhakar Shinde — Nashik-based journalist of Marathi daily Deshdoot who described how the mother instructed the sisters
• RM Bomche — counsel initially for Kiran Shinde who described aspects of Anjanabai’s background
• Vidya Kulkarni — neighbour in Nashik during the kidnapping of Kranti in 1996; testified about beating
• Inspector Mandaleshwar Madhavrao Kale — investigating officer who said the girl could not be traced at first and later confirmed the sisters’ confession to killing Kranti
• Judge G L Yedke — Kolhapur additional district and sessions judge who awarded death penalty on June 29, 2001
• Justices K G Balakrishnan and G P Mathur — Supreme Court bench that dismissed appeals on August 31, 2006
• Justices R M S Khandeparkar and R S Mohite — Bombay High Court justices who upheld the death sentence on September 9, 2004
• Ram Murlidhar Mudhe — panch witness who identified Seema Gavit in testimony regarding handwriting samples and the Parimal Lodge visitors’ register
• Manik Mulik — defence lawyer who raised objections during proceedings
• Ajit Pahade — Parimal Lodge owner who demanded a copy of the panchnama for his record
• CID officer Shinde — CID officer present during panch witness proceedings regarding handwriting samples
• Chief witnesses and witnesses — 156 witnesses were examined by the court in the hearing described

Timeline

• 1990 — Renuka was caught pickpocketing at the Chatursinghi temple in Pune; the kidnapping spree began; the first victim mentioned was Santosh, a one-year-old son of a beggar woman
• June 22, 1990 to October 1996 (period described in proceedings) — period within which the sisters were accused of kidnapping 13 children and killing nine of them (with five murders proved)
• June 29, 2001 — sessions court sentenced Renuka Shinde and Seema Mohan Gavit to death; Kiran Shinde was acquitted
• December 3, 1998 — panch witness Ram Murlidhar Mudhe identified Seema Gavit in testimony regarding handwriting sample procedures
• September 9, 2004 — Bombay High Court upheld the death sentence awarded to Renuka Shinde and Seema Mohan Gavit
• August 31, 2006 — Supreme Court confirmed the death sentence

Background

Renuka Shinde and her sister Seema Mohan Gavit were described as ordinary in appearance. Renuka and Seema were convicted for killing five children, mostly toddlers, in Pune, Kolhapur, and Nashik. They had kidnapped children to be used as a cover for petty criminal activities including begging and petty thefts. When the children became a problem, they were killed.

Renuka’s father, Seema’s father in the described family narrative, was a truck driver. The narrative also described Anjanabai’s second husband Mohan abandoning Anjanabai and moving in with another woman named Pratibha. The sisters operated in crowded places such as temple compounds, railway stations, fairs, bus stations, and other crowded areas, using the presence of children to avoid suspicion. Renuka’s son Ashish from her first marriage was used as defence when Renuka was caught pickpocketing at the Chatursinghi temple in Pune.

The offence

Kidnapping and use of children for petty crime

Renuka Shinde and Seema Mohan Gavit were part of a gang that kidnapped children and forced them into begging and petty thefts. The narrative described the gang’s method as taking abducted children along while committing petty thefts, using the children as a shield, and escaping if someone cast doubt.

Killing of children

The gang killed children when they were no longer useful or became a nuisance or burden. The Supreme Court described the killings as demonstrating a “depraved mind” that killed without compulsion, and it stated that the sisters were unlikely to reform.

The case record named the murdered children as:

• Santosh
• Anjali
• Shradha
• Gauri
• Pankaj

The prosecution and police beliefs described additional kidnapping and killings beyond the five murders proved, including:

• Police belief that they kidnapped 13 and murdered nine
• Police belief of kidnapping over a dozen children between 1990 and 1996
• Reference to nine murders being charged, and the sessions court finding six murders guilty, while the High Court held prosecution could prove only five cases

Specific killing acts described in the narrative included:

• Santosh being hurt when hurled to the floor; Anjanabai shut him up by bashing his head repeatedly against an iron rod
• Seema dropping a seven-month-old baby, Swapnil, due to incessant crying
• Hanging a two-year-old boy upside down and slamming his head against a wall
• Chopping the body of one child and stuffing it into a gunny bag for disposal, with the gang watching a movie at Alka Talkies in Kolhapur and eating bhel puri while the bag lay between their feet
• Anjanabai later killing a child by smashing his head against a pole (described in the narrative)
• A three-year-old being hung upside down from the ceiling and having his head repeatedly slammed against a wall
• Another narrative describing Santosh being banged against the floor and then an iron pole till he died, and his body thrown under an autorickshaw
• Another narrative describing Bhavna being gagged, bundled into a handbag, and dumped in a ladies’ toilet of a cinema
• Another narrative describing Naresh being starved and beaten to death
• Another narrative describing Pankaj talking to passers-by about his parents and being hung upside down and having his head slammed against a wall

Investigation

The kidnapping and murder case was investigated by police and handed over to the CID. Evidence was said to have hinted at several murders when police questioned the trio regarding a missing girl.

Inspector Mandaleshwar Madhavrao Kale said they could not trace the girl at first, and later when the three returned to kidnap Pratibha’s younger daughter, they were caught. Kale stated that the sisters confessed to killing Kranti in Pune under their mother’s instructions. The investigating team zoomed in on Kiran Shinde, who turned approver and gave details to the police.

The prosecution described that while there were no eyewitnesses in the case, it relied on the testimony of Kiran Shinde. The court examined 156 witnesses and all deposed against the accused.

Ram Murlidhar Mudhe testified as a panch witness and identified Seema Gavit. He described that handwriting samples were taken on blank papers and that the visitors’ register book of Parimal Lodge, Nashik, was seized in his presence on November 6, 1996, during the period when the accused had kidnapped Anjali alias Pinki. Mudhe agreed there was overwriting and some figures were changed, and stated those were by the police in his presence. He clarified that later police discovered a mistake in the original copy of the panchnama and that they found the copy was overwritten.

Arrest

Renuka Shinde, Seema Mohan Gavit, their mother Anjanabai, and Renuka’s husband Kiran Shinde were arrested in 1996. The sisters were caught when they visited Mohan to kidnap his second daughter in October 1996. A complaint on October 22, 1996 was registered against the three, accusing them of kidnapping Kranti.

Trial

The trial began in September 1998. Anjanabai died during trial. The case was described as a murder case in which the sisters were charged with murder of children including those identified as Santosh, Anjali, Shradha, Gauri, and Pankaj.

Judge G L Yedke awarded the death penalty to Renuka Shinde and Seema Mohan Gavit. Kiran Shinde was acquitted, as he had turned approver and testified against the women. Renuka and Seema did not show any emotion after the verdict.

The trial proceedings included testimony from panch witness Ram Murlidhar Mudhe and objections raised by defence lawyer Manik Mulik.

Quotations (verbatim)

Aseem Saroday said: “Their ordinariness makes their actions even more horrifying.”

Ujjwal Nikam said: “We limited the period of killing to six years. However, this had been going on for longer than that. The women could not remember how many children they had killed.”

Anjanabai said: “Santosh was hurt when he was hurled to the floor. Denied medication, the baby's wounds festered and he was crying uncontrollably. Anjanabai shut him up by bashing his head repeatedly against an iron rod,”

Investigating officer said: “Santosh was hurt when he was hurled to the floor.

Saroday, who was associated with the case in the Supreme Court, said: “They chopped the body of one child and stuffed it into a gunny bag for disposal. The gang carried the bag with them and watched a movie at Alka Talkies in Kolhapur and ate bhel puri while the bag lay between their feet,”

Nikam recalled: “They very cleverly executed plans of kidnapping the children, and the moment they were no longer useful, killed them and threw the dead body at some deserted place,”

Bombay High Court upholding judgement was described through the quotation from the Supreme Court bench:

“Going into the details of the case, we find no mitigating circumstances against them apart from the fact they are women. Further the nature of their crime and the systematic way in which each child was kidnapped and killed amply demonstrates the depravity of the mind of the appelants. They indulged in criminal activities for a very long period and continued till they were caught by the police. They very cleverly executed plans of kidnapping the children, and the moment they were no longer useful, killed them and threw the dead body at some deserted place,”

The bench said:

“They were not been committing crimes under compulsion but took it very casually and killed all these children, least bothering about their life or the agony of their parents.”

The bench said:

“We do not think that these appelants are likely to reform, and will remain a menace to society. The inhabitants of the locality in which the two were living was so horrified that they could not send their children to school for the fear that they would be kidnapped or killed,”

Quotations (verbatim) from named individuals

Sudhakar Shinde said: “They would kidnap a child and use it as a shield. While one would remain with the child, the other would escape from the scene. If anyone cast a doubt, she would claim to be innocent since she was carrying a child. She would thus escape,”

Sudhakar Shinde added: “They would kidnap children from Nashik, Mumbai, Kolhapur and Pune. The child would be kept in their Pune residence. They would be eliminated if they didn't get the ransom. They kidnapped 13 children aged between one and nine. By their own admission, they killed nine kids,”

Inspector Mandaleshwar Madhavrao Kale said: “The sisters confessed to killing Kranti in Pune under their mother’s instructions. We arrested the mother and seized all the belongings to find more clues. There were many cases of missing children, which were registered during the same time between 1990 and 1996, when their operations were at their peak,”

Vidya Kulkarni said: “My apartment window opened on theirs. I could see them beating up Kranti everyday. I had many things to tell.”

The jail official said: “Every time the jail superintendent visits they want to know about the status of their mercy petition. In their mind there is no doubt about their sentence being commuted,”

Sentencing

Sessions court sentence

On June 29, 2001, the Kolhapur sessions court sentenced Renuka Shinde and her sister Seema Mohan Gavit to death by hanging. The court acquitted Kiran Shinde.

Judge G L Yedke said the women had:

• kidnapped innocent children who could not offer any resistance
• used the children for the purpose of begging
• killed the children brutally when the children outlived their utility

The narrative also described Judge G L Yedke describing the murders as most heinous and stating that the two sisters seemed to have enjoyed killing the children.

High Court decision

On September 9, 2004, the Bombay High Court upheld the death sentence awarded to Renuka Shinde and Seema Gavit. The High Court held that prosecution could prove only five cases against them.

Appeals

The Supreme Court dismissed the appeals and confirmed the death sentence on August 31, 2006. The Supreme Court bench comprising Justices K G Balakrishnan and G P Mathur held there were no mitigating circumstances apart from the fact they were women. The bench stated that the sisters were unlikely to reform.

Outcome

Renuka Shinde remained on death row following the Supreme Court confirmation. The sisters were lodged in Yerwada Jail, Pune, and Renuka was sent to Nagpur jail after the Supreme Court verdict. After Renuka was later transferred back to Yerwada, the sisters were lodged in separate cells and were said to give company to Renuka the person Fehmida Sayyed, who was also sentenced to death by the Bombay High Court for the twin bomb blasts in Mumbai in 2003.

Aftermath

Renuka’s visits by her children were described as erratic. The narrative stated that Renuka’s children were regular visitors but after the oldest child turned 18 he was released and insisted on taking all his siblings with him. Renuka was described as seeking access to her bank accounts, which were sealed.

Swati Saroday, described as an advocate who worked with Renuka for rehabilitating her four children, recalled Renuka’s separation from her sister and her hunger strikes and distress, including a desire to be with her sister. The Supreme Court judgment stated that the killings demonstrated a “depraved mind” that killed without any compulsion, and it was described as considering why the sisters were unlikely to reform.

Renuka Shinde remained in Yerwada Jail, Pune, with continued attention to the status of her mercy petition.