Courts need to reform, rehabilitate criminals: SC
One-liner: It is the duty of courts to take into consideration not only crime but also the criminal, his state of mind and his socioeconomic conditions, the Supreme Court has said.
What the bench says: A bench said it is the duty of courts to take into consideration the probability of the accused being reformed and rehabilitated.
- The observations were made by the top court while converting the death sentence awarded to a man, convicted of killing two of his siblings and his nephew over a property dispute, to life imprisonment for a period of 30 years
- The top court said the state (Madhya Pradesh) has not placed on record any evidence to show that there is no possibility with respect to reformation or rehabilitation of the convict
Need to know: This is the first offence committed by the appellant, no doubt, a heinous one. The certificate issued by the Jail Superintendent shows that the conduct of the appellant during incarceration has been satisfactory, the bench said.
Why death sentence: The SC said it can't, therefore, be said that there is no chance of the appellant being reformed and rehabilitated foreclosing the alternative option of a lesser sentence and making the imposition of death sentence imperative.
Source: PTI
