Panaji, Aug 19 (TOI): In a case of abandonment of a newly born girl child in Goa medical college and hospital (GMC), the children's court has convicted and sentenced the parents, Minakshi Parab and Faruq Shaikh, to undergo imprisonment for five months on charges of child abuse and directed each of them to pay a fine of 1,00,000.

The central forensic science laboratory at Hyderabad had confirmed that the accused were the biological parents of the girl by DNA profiling of the parents and child's blood samples. The incident of abandonment of the child came to light on January 27, 2011, after the mother left the GMC hospital while the girl was admitted. The mother had earlier given birth to a premature child in a hospital in Mapusa, and subsequently the child was taken to GMC.

The children's court president, Vandana Tendulkar, observed that 'the evidence on record is sufficient to reveal the act of the accused persons of abandoning their newly born child at GMC'. "It is material to note the culture and mind setup of the Indian society who does not easily accept an illegitimate child or a spinster mother," Tendulkar observed. The court has also directed the parents to pay a fine of 50,000 each under Section 317 (abandonment of child under 12 years by parents or person having care of it) of the IPC.

In support of the case, public prosecutor K Sanzgiry examined 10 witnesses. The accused caused 'emotional maltreatment amounting to child abuse to the minor girl', the prosecution alleged.

Witnesses Dr Swati Kumar, consulting gynaecologist at Vrundavan hospital, and other employees of the hospital identified the accused persons and stated Minakshi had given premature birth to the girl child and subsequently the baby was referred to GMC for intensive care.