Supreme Court narrows death-penalty use to cases where reformation is impossible

In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court clarified that the death penalty is permissible only when a convict’s possibility of reform is conclusively excluded. Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and Vijay Bishnoi said the prosecution must demonstrate that life imprisonment is unquestionably inadequate. Applying this test, the court commuted the death sentence of a man convicted of repeatedly raping and murdering his six-year-old stepdaughter, ordering him to remain in prison for the rest of his natural life without remission.

The bench criticized the trial court for sentencing on the same day as conviction without a separate hearing. It also noted mitigating factors such as the offender’s age, lack of prior convictions, satisfactory conduct in custody and a psychological evaluation that showed no incorrigibility. The ruling emphasizes that even the most brutal crimes do not automatically preclude the chance of rehabilitation.