Murder of Mary Grace: Lamha granted conditional bail
If Lamha intends to leave the city, she must notify the court
Lamha was granted conditional bail for a period of 180 days
Haleemath Lamha, who is facing charges in the murder of Mary Grace, a Philippines national who was employed as a nurse at Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) has been granted conditional bail.
A hearing in the murder trial of Mary Grace was held at the Criminal Court on Thursday.
Thursday's hearing was on charges against Lamha, as Marvin's lawyer was unable to attend the hearing as he had a clash in schedules.
During the hearing, the prosecution stated that additional time was required to present some of their witnesses. Stating that witnesses can be presented with the help of the Foreign Ministry and the Indian High Commission, the prosecution noted that it is taking more time due to the shift in government, and the administration work that comes with it. Hence the prosecution requested for a period of 15 days.
Lamha's attorney has requested to release her from custody, if the prosecution is unable to produce witnesses. Her attorney went onto say that there is no justification for claiming that a change in government is the cause of the delays.
After deliberating over Lamha's custodial review, the trial judge granted her conditional release after weighing the contentions made by both sides over Lamha's custody. She was granted conditional bail for a period of 180 days.
These include being prohibited from being outside between 10:00 pm and 6:00 am, alerting the court if she plans to leave the city, and showing up at the court at appointed times.
Lamha faces charges for conspiring with Marvin to carry out the murder and assisting in facilitating it. Hearings in both trials are being held separately. Lamha faces six years in prison if she is found guilty.
She also faces additional charges for deliberately taking unauthorized control over the property of another person or place, after the police found two injections from IGMH that she did not have authority to take out of the hospital. The two needles were found hidden inside her bedroom. She is also charged with carrying out an activity that requires permission from authorities, without obtaining permission after police found a drug issued only for the use of hospitals, while searching her bedroom.
If convicted, Lamha will be jailed for four months and 24 days for that offense.
MPS confirmed the arrest of Lamha under a court order, on 16 December 2021.
