SC commutes death penalty of man for rape, murder of child

One-liner: The Supreme Court on Tuesday commuted the death penalty of a man convicted for raping and killing a three-year-old girl in 2016 and considered the possibility of his reformation and rehabilitation.

Speedy trial needed: Commuting the death sentence of a Chhattisgarh resident to life imprisonment, a bench maintained a speedy trial is desirable but sufficient time ought to have been given to the counsel for the accused to prepare for the defence.

• The bench passed the order in an appeal filed by Lochan Srivas against the conviction and death penalty awarded to him by a trial court and further upheld by the HC in Chhattisgarh
• The apex court said the trial court, as well as the HC, only took into the crime but not the criminal, his state of mind, his socio­economic background, etc

Need to know: The court also took note of the affidavits filed by the convict's younger brother and elder sister, who claimed he did well at school and made consistent efforts to bring the family out of poverty.

• According to the prosecution, the victim and her family lived in the same building as that of the convict. On Feb 24, 2016, the girl went missing and the convict informed that the child was kept inside a sack near a pole beside a road.
• On this, people got suspicious and informed the police. The police interrogated the appellant, who confessed to his crime before them. The body of the victim, soaked in blood, was found in a sack near the bushes.