In Brief
A three-judge Supreme Court bench set aside the death sentence of an accused convicted of raping and murdering a 3-month-old child, finding the trial violated principles of fair trial and judicial calm. The entire trial was completed in 15 days—from charge-sheet filing to judgment—without providing adequate time for legal aid counsel to prepare the defence or for the accused to properly contest the prosecution's DNA, FSL and Viscera reports. Expert witnesses were never examined, yet the court expected the jailed accused to produce them for cross-examination within one day. The Court remanded the matter for a completely fresh trial with proper procedural safeguards.
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