In a criminal appeal filed before the Supreme Court against a judgment dated 05-12-2024 by the Madhya Pradesh High Court whereby the appellant’s conviction under Sections 376-2(f) and 506-B of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) as awarded by the IIIrd Additional Sessions Judge, Sagar, M.P. by judgment dated 25-10-2010, was upheld, a Bench comprising Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Justice Manmohan modified the appellant’s sentence.
The appellant submitted that there were many discrepancies in the witness testimonies, which entitled the appellant to be acquitted based on the benefit of doubt. However, it was contended that the Court may fix the appellant’s sentence instead of life imprisonment, which under normal circumstances would mean that the appellant has to be in jail till the end of his natural life.
After considering the matter in its entirety, the Court opined that even though the impugned judgment required no interference on merit, ends of justice would be served if the punishment is modified from life imprisonment to that of twenty years of actual incarceration without remission.
The Court modified the appellant’s conviction awarded by the IIIrd Additional Sessions Judge and upheld by the Madhya Pradesh High Court to twenty years of actual incarceration without remission. Thus, the appeal was disposed of.
