CRIMINAL LAW ROUNDUP: A quick recap of the top criminal cases from February 2025
Top criminal cases on quashing of proceedings, arrest, bail, acquittal, and more.
Reformation
‘If he goes back to his books, it can reform him’; Bombay HC grants bail to 19-year-old accused in robbery case, gives opportunity to continue education
“Constantly witnessing his peers moving ahead in life causes frustration which could create an emotion of rebellion, and coupled with the exposure to criminality in prison, it could easily gain traction and push him to become a hardened criminal.”
Sending first time offenders of less serious offence to jail might attract them towards a life of crime instead of reforming: Punjab and Haryana HC upholds probation
The sole intention of the legislature in passing probation laws is to give person of a particular type of chance of reformation, which they would not get if sent to prison.
Redemption and rehabilitation of prisoners must receive due weightage; Himachal Pradesh HC grants parole to convict for solving his personal and family issues
“Convicts too must breathe fresh air for at least some time provided they maintain good conduct consistently during incarceration and show a tendency to reform themselves and become good citizens.”
‘Not rarest of rare case’; Delhi High Court commutes death sentence of man for kidnapping and murder of 12-year-old
Though causing death of someone in itself is perversity, however causing death by smothering and inflicting injuries by jack handle though opined to be consistent with intense torture, cannot be held to be a diabolic or seriously perverse manner of committing murder so as to shock the collective conscience of the society and fall in the category of rarest of rare cases.
“Death Sentence to be imposed only if no possibility of reform”; SC commutes death sentence to 20-years rigorous imprisonment in 7-year-old’s kidnapping-murder case
No mitigating circumstances of the petitioner were taken into account at any stage of the trial or the appellate process even though the petitioner was sentenced to capital punishment.
Bom HC | Acid Attack Case: Attacker’s conviction upheld but death penalty commuted holding him to be of young age and not beyond reformation
Bombay High Court: A Division Bench of B.P. Dharmadhikari and Prakash D. Naik, JJ. allowed an appeal by a convict who was
Carceral period should reform the convict; directions issued for reformation of appellant incarcerated in Tihar Jail
Delhi High Court: A Single Judge Bench comprising of Anu Malhotra, J. dismissed an appeal for reduction of sentence of the appellant