VIJAYAWADA: The gravity of an offence alone cannot justify the imposition of the death penalty, and courts must also take into account the circumstances, background and prospects of reformation of the accused, the Andhra Pradesh High Court has held.
A Division Bench, comprising Justice K Suresh Reddy and Justice A Hari Haranatha Sarma, said courts must balance the manner and brutality of the crime and the circumstances of the victims with factors relating to the accused, including age, socio-economic background, criminal antecedents and mental condition.
The Bench emphasised that the possibility of reformation, rehabilitation and reintegration of an accused into the mainstream of society should be given the highest priority while deciding whether capital punishment is warranted.
The criminal justice system should not become excessively punitive and must also provide scope for reform and rehabilitation, the Bench observed. Punishment, reformation and enabling offenders to return to the mainstream of society are among the important objectives of the criminal justice system, it said.
The High Court further made it clear that where life imprisonment can adequately serve the ends of justice, the case should not be treated as one of the “rarest of rare” cases warranting the death penalty.
HC commutes death penalty to life term
The court made the observations while dealing with a double-murder case from Kurnool. The Bench modified the 2024 judgment of the Kurnool District Sessions Court, which had awarded the death penalty to Narapuram Sravan Kumar and his father Varaprasad.
The father and son were convicted of killing Sravan Kumar’s wife Rukmini and mother-in-law Ramadevi, and attacking his father-in-law Venkateswarlu. The High Court commuted their death sentences to life imprisonment.
The Bench noted that both accused had no previous criminal antecedents and that there was scope for their reformation. There was no material to establish that they would pose a threat to society, it observed. However, the court made it clear that they would not be entitled to remission of their life sentences.
The High Court also acquitted Sravan Kumar’s mother, Krishnaveni, who had been sentenced to life imprisonment by the trial court. Setting aside her conviction and sentence, the Bench directed her immediate release.
According to the prosecution, Sravan Kumar (26), a resident of Chintalamuni Nagar in Kurnool, married Rukmini (18) on March 1, 2023. Differences reportedly arose between the couple.
On March 14, Sravan Kumar brought Rukmini, her mother Ramadevi and father Venkateswarlu to his residence around 11.30 pm.
Shortly after they arrived, Sravan Kumar and his father Varaprasad (62) allegedly attacked Rukmini with knives. They later attacked Ramadevi and Venkateswarlu. Rukmini and Ramadevi died of their injuries, while Venkateswarlu suffered serious injuries.