Guwahati: In a horrific incident, the Madhya Pradesh High Court commuted the life sentence of a rape offender, noting that despite the vile and demonic nature of the crime, the convict had been “gentle enough” to spare the life of the minor.
The convict’s life sentence was reduced to 20 years by the justices SK Singh and Subodh Abhyankar on the bench.
The court said, “In such circumstances, this court does not find any error in appreciation of evidence by the trial court and considering the demonic act of the appellant, who appears to have no respect for the dignity of a woman and has the propensity to commit sexual offences even with a girl child aged four years, this court does not find it to be a fit case where the sentence can be reduced to the sentence already undergone by him.”
“However, considering the fact that he was kind enough to leave the prosecutrix alive, this court is of the opinion that life imprisonment can be reduced to 20 years’ rigorous imprisonment,” it added.
“Accordingly, the criminal appeal is partly allowed and the appellant will be made to suffer the period of 20 years in accordance with the law,” it added.