In Brief
The petitioner was convicted of dacoity (Section 394 IPC) and sentenced to rigorous imprisonment. Although dacoity is a non-compoundable offence under the Criminal Procedure Code, the petitioner and victims settled their dispute. The Supreme Court held that while non-compoundable offences cannot ordinarily be compounded under statutory law, the Court may exercise its powers under Article 142 of the Constitution to permit compounding and reduce the sentence in exceptional circumstances where parties have genuinely settled, balancing legal rigidity with substantial justice. The petition was disposed of with the application to compound the offence allowed.
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