Supreme Court Commutes Death Sentence In Sexual Assault-Murder Case, Cites Possibility Of Reformation

The Supreme Court has commuted the death sentence of a man convicted of repeatedly raping and killing his six-year-old stepdaughter, citing the possibility of reformation.

Conviction Upheld, Death Sentence Commuted

A three-judge bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and Vijay Bishnoi upheld the man's conviction but replaced the death penalty with imprisonment for the remainder of his natural life without remission.

The court held that the prosecution had not conclusively established that the possibility of the convict's reformation had been completely ruled out. The decision came despite the court recognising the gravity of the offences.

The Supreme Court also rejected an ordinary life sentence with the possibility of remission, finding it inadequate in view of the circumstances of the case.

Man Had Spent Years In Custody

The convict, identified as Waris, had spent around eight years in custody, including about seven years under a death sentence, according to the judgment details reported on Thursday.

The trial court had awarded him the death penalty, which was later confirmed by the Madhya Pradesh High Court. The lower courts had treated the case as falling within the ‘rarest of rare’ category.

Supreme Court Examines Reformation

The bench considered whether the possibility of rehabilitation and reformation had been completely foreclosed, a factor relevant to the imposition of capital punishment.

While commuting the sentence, the court ordered that the convict remain in prison for the rest of his natural life without remission. This means the sentence does not carry the prospect of an ordinary remission-based release.

Procedural Issue Also Considered

During the Supreme Court proceedings, a concern arose over the cross-examination of the victim's mother, who was a key prosecution witness.

The legal aid counsel representing the appellant had been appointed on the day her evidence was recorded. The Supreme Court subsequently directed that the witness be cross-examined again.

The supplementary cross-examination took place in June 2025 with counsel chosen by the appellant after the defence was provided the case records. The court found that the procedural issue had been adequately addressed and maintained the conviction.

Case Involved POCSO Offences

The conviction involved offences under the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.

The Supreme Court's ruling leaves the conviction intact while altering the punishment from death to imprisonment for the convict's natural life without remission.