In Brief
A 24-year-old man was convicted of abducting, sexually assaulting, and murdering a four-year-old child in Gujarat. The Supreme Court upheld the conviction based on circumstantial evidence: the accused was seen with the child shortly before death, found near the crime scene, had injuries consistent with the assault, and led police to the victim's clothes. Although the trial court imposed death penalty, the Supreme Court commuted it to 25 years rigorous imprisonment without remission, finding the accused showed signs of reformation and did not meet the 'rarest of rare' standard requiring capital punishment. The Court balanced the heinous nature of the crime against the convict's age, mental health conditions, and rehabilitation potential.
The lawyer headnote and full judgment text are available to registered users.