Justice Served: High Court Commutes Life Sentence in Constable Murder Case

The Uttarakhand High Court reduced Rajendra Kumar Arya's life sentence for killing a constable in 2014 to time served, citing a lack of premeditation. The court reclassified the crime as culpable homicide, leading to Arya's immediate release after nearly 11 years in jail.

The Uttarakhand High Court has reduced the life sentence of Rajendra Kumar Arya, convicted of killing a constable in 2014, to the duration he has already served in prison. The court ruled that the murder was not premeditated and adjusted the conviction to culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

Arya has been imprisoned since May 2014 after being accused of killing Constable Surendra Singh during an attempted escape from the Mukhani police outpost in Nainital district. The High Court's decision came after it expressed doubt over the police's assertion that Arya had unlocked his handcuffs to flee.

The court acknowledged that Arya's actions during the escape were not planned, leading to the modification of the conviction from murder under Section 302 to Section 304 of the IPC. With no other cases pending against him, Arya has been ordered to be released immediately. The original fine imposed on him remains intact.

(With inputs from agencies.)