SC modifies sentence of rape, murder convict; awards him 30 yrs in jail sans remission

The High Court upheld the conviction of the appellant but converted the death sentence into life imprisonment. It held that the imprisonment of life shall be till the natural life of the man.

The Supreme Court has modified the sentence of imprisonment till the natural life awarded to a man convicted of raping and murdering a 10-year-old girl to 30 years in jail without remission.

A bench of Justice L Nageswara Rao and Justice Hrishikesh Roy referred to Section 376-A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and said it provides for punishment for the commission of an offence for a term which shall not be less than 20 years and which may extend to imprisonment for life.

''Without disturbing the findings recorded by the courts below relating to the conviction of the appellant, we are of the considered view that the life imprisonment till the natural life of the appellant should be modified to a sentence of 30 years without remission.

''Section 376-A IPC provides for punishment for the commission of an offence for a term which shall not be less than 20 years and which may extend to imprisonment for life,'' the bench said.

A trial court had convicted the man under Sections 376-A (punishment for sexual assault), 302 (murder), 363 (kidnapping), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence) of IPC and Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012, and imposed death penalty. The High Court upheld the conviction of the appellant but converted the death sentence into life imprisonment. It held that the imprisonment of life shall be till the natural life of the man.