In Brief
Two young men aged 19 and 20 committed robbery and attempted murder with weapons on a taxi driver in 2003. They were convicted and sentenced to seven years' imprisonment each. After serving about 50% of their sentence, they sought early release on probation. The State argued that the mandatory minimum sentence of seven years under Section 397 IPC could not be reduced. The Supreme Court held that the Probation of Offenders Act, 1958 applies notwithstanding any statutory minimum sentence, and granted release on probation, emphasizing the Act's reformative purpose and noting the victim's forgiveness and the offenders' youth.
The lawyer headnote and full judgment text are available to registered users.