Who is Shabnam? First woman to be hanged after India's Independence

Nearly 13 years after Shabnam and her partner Salim killed her family members including her 10-month old nephew in a small village of Bawankhedi in UP’s Amroha, the duo could be hanged till death in Mathura jail. The date for hanging as not been fixed as the jail authorities are waiting for a death warrant to be issued.

Shabnam could become the first woman to be hanged in independent India. In April 2008, both Shabnam and Salim in their 20s, killed Shabnam's family with an axe because they did not approve of her relationship with Salim. She was pregnant at the time of the murders and gave birth to a son in jail.

The local court in July 2010 sentenced both of them to death, following which they approached the apex court. The Supreme Court in 2015 granted them no relief and upheld the lower court’s order. The President too has rejected their mercy plea.