In Brief
The State appealed a High Court order that had maintained the murder conviction (Section 302 IPC) of the respondent but reduced his sentence from life imprisonment to approximately seven years and ten months already undergone. The Supreme Court held that the minimum sentence for murder under Section 302 IPC is mandatory life imprisonment and any lesser sentence is impermissible and contrary to law. The Court quashed the High Court's judgment, restored the trial court's life imprisonment sentence, and gave the respondent eight weeks to surrender. The appeal was allowed.
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