By Thamanna Sadique
An Indian caregiver Shahzadi Khan, sentenced to death in Abu Dhabi for the death of a four-month-old child. She was executed on February 15; the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) informed the Delhi High Court.
Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma expressed to a bench led by Justice Sachin Datta that Khan’s last rites would take place on March 5 in Abu Dhabi, with the ministry offering full assistance to her family. The court accepted the submission, called the situation “unfortunate,” and disposed of the plea filed by her father.
In August 2022, she was hired as a caregiver for the newborn son. In February 2022, the four-month-old baby passed away and she was accused of killing by the parents.
An investigation was conducted, resulting in Shahzadi’s arrest and, ultimately a death sentence from Abu Dhabi court.
She was under the custody of Abu Dhabi police on February 10, 2023, and was sentenced to death on July 31, 2023.
According to court documents, she was accused of asphyxiating the infant in the “spur of the moment.” The trial heard claims that she was upset over “mistreatment and nondelivery of salaries” and took out her anger on the baby.
However, both Shahzadi and her father mentioned that the child’s death was due to medical negligence, arguing that the baby had received a vaccine earlier that day and was running a fever.
Shabbir told the British publication that his daughter was “trapped and forced to sign a false confession” by the baby’s mother, leading to her wrongful conviction. “She didn’t do it. My daughter is innocent,” he said, expressing frustration over his inability to secure proper legal representation for her due to financial constraints.
It was on March 1, when father of Shahzadi approached the Delhi High Court seeking a directive to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to issue a bulletin and ascertain information regarding the current legal status and well-being of his daughter.
Her appeal was rejected in September 2023, and her death sentence reaffirmed in February 2024. A mercy petition submitted in July 2024 went unanswered.