In Brief
The Union of India appealed against the High Court's decision commuting a convict's death sentence to life imprisonment. The convict, Dharam Pal, was convicted of murdering five persons and had been on death row for over 25 years, including 18 years in solitary confinement. The Court dismissed the appeal, holding that inordinate delay (13+ years) in the President's decision on the mercy petition violated fundamental rights under Article 21; illegal solitary confinement prior to mercy rejection was unauthorized additional punishment; and failure to inform the President of the convict's acquittal in a related rape case caused grave prejudice. The Court affirmed commutation, subject to completion of 35 years actual imprisonment.
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