Hyderabad - Mother gets death penalty for infant’s sacrifice in Suryapet

M Srinivas

12 April 2025 8:45 AM

The woman indulged in human sacrifice and performed puja to get rid of sarpadosha

Hyderabad: A court in Suryapet district sentenced a 32-year-old woman to death for killing her seven-month-old daughter in a ritualistic human sacrifice. She performed the act while conducting a puja to rid herself of sarpadosha at her house. Dr Shyamasri, First Additional Sessions Judge of Suryapet, pronounced the death sentence on Bhanotu Bharathi alias Lasya, calling it a “rarest of the rare” case. The crime occurred in April 2021 at Mekapati Thanda in Kodad mandal and shocked the region. 

Police launched a detailed investigation after the gruesome nature of the case came to light. Speaking to Deccan Chronicle on Saturday, Munagala sub-inspector B. Praveen Kumar said he responded immediately after receiving an alert from villagers. At the time, he was posted at Mothe police station. He said the accused committed the crime when her husband was away.The crime came to light when local children playing nearby heard strange noises from the house. Elders were alerted and called the police. On reaching the house, the police found the baby dead with multiple stab wounds, vermillion and turmeric scattered across the room and a blood-stained knife at the scene. “By the time we arrived, the baby had died from severe stab wounds,” said Praveen Kumar. “We immediately registered a murder case and arrested the woman.” 

The police filed a charge sheet within a month, and the trial began soon after. Forensic evidence, including the blood-stained knife and Forensic Science Laboratory’s (FSL) report from Hyderabad, along with eyewitness accounts, helped secure the conviction. Following the murder case, Bharathi also attempted to attack her husband. She was sentenced to one-year imprisonment in that case.

Source: https://www.deccanchronicle.com/southern-states/telangana/human-sacrifice-case-woman-gets-death-penalty-for-killing-7-month-old-daughter-in-suryapet-1872478

Haryana - Two UP men get death penalty for raping 3-year-old in Fatehabad

By Sunil Rahar, Rohtak

Published on: Apr 10, 2025 07:14 am IST

The victim died after battling for her life for eight days at Rohtak’s Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS). An additional district and sessions court in Fatehabad on Wednesday awarded death penalty to two farm labourers for raping a three and a half-year-old girl in a field in a Fatehabad village on the night of June 29-30 last year. The girl died after battling for her life for eight days at Rohtak’s Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS).

The additional district and sessions judge (fast track special court under POCSO Act) Amit Garg awarded death penalty to two farm labourers Mukesh and Satish, both residents of Uttar Pradesh and staying in Haryana for the last several years. They were convicted under sections 363 (kidnapping), 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance with common intention), 366 and 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The court also imposed a fine of ₹1.75 lakh on them.

According to police, the incident occurred on the night of June 29-30, when the accused, who were known to the victim’s father (who belonged to Uttar Pradesh), consumed liquor in a room in a field at a village in Fatehabad, where the girl’s family was working as labourers. In his complaint to Tohana police, the victim’s father said that he, along with his wife, were working as labourers in the fields of a farmer in a village in Fatehabad’s Tohana area.

“On the night of June 29, three migrant workers, Mukesh, Satish and Sambhu, came to meet me. They also hail from Uttar Pradesh and were employed by other farmers in the area. We consumed alcohol, and the trio went home. Around 3 am on Sunday, I woke up and found my daughter missing. She was recovered from Jakhal Road. I, along with my employer, rushed my daughter to Tohana Civil Hospital, where doctors confirmed sexual assault,” the migrant worker had added in his complaint.

The girl was later rushed to Maharaja Agrasen Medical College in Hisar’s Agroha and later she was shifted to PGIMS, Rohtak. The girl died after battling for life for eight days. The doctors at PGIMS had stated that the girl had suffered genital injuries, including in her rectum and lower intestinal tract. The then, Tohana station house officer Devi Lal had said that two migrant workers — Satish and Mukesh— abducted the girl and raped her in the nearby fields. 

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/chandigarh-news/two-up-men-get-death-penalty-for-raping-3-year-old-in-fatehabad-101744224844784.html#google_vignette

Karnataka - Brutal 'honour killing': Karnataka court hands down death penalty to 3, life term to 9 for massacring family

by indiatribune

April 08, 2025

Raichur (Karnataka), April 8 (IANS) A court in Karnataka's Raichur district on Tuesday pronounced its verdict on the sensational honour killing case of the murder of five members of a family over an inter-caste love marriage in 2020, sentencing three of the convicts to death and nine others to life imprisonment.

The honour killing had shaken the state and made national headlines. The Third Additional District and Sessions Court in Sindhanur sentenced the girl's father, Sannafakeerappa, and relatives Ammanna and Somashekar to death and fined them Rs 47,000 each. The nine others convicted of the crime were sentenced to life imprisonment and a fine of Rs 97,500 slapped on each of them. The convicts had brutally murdered Erappa, 65, his wife Sumitramma, 55, and their children Nagaraj, 38, Sridevi, 36, and Hanumesh, 35. Erappa’s daughter-in-law, Revathi, and his mother, Tayamma, sustained serious injuries in the attack. The incident was triggered by the inter-caste marriage of Sannafakeerappa’s daughter, Manjula, who had married Mounesh from the victim’s family against her parents' wishes.

Enraged by the marriage, the dozen forcibly entered the victims’ house on July 11, 2020, dragged them outside, and murdered them in the middle of the road using deadly weapons. Manjula and Mounesh, residents of Sukalpet in Sindhanur, were in a relationship and got married, choosing to live separately from their families due to opposition from Manjula’s family. The tragic incident occurred just a few months after their marriage. The couple remained safe and were placed under police protection following the attack.

After their marriage, the couple had visited Manjula’s father at his residence. However, her family, strongly opposed to the inter-caste union, refused to accept them, and allegedly threatened to kill Mounesh’s entire family. Following this threat, the couple lodged a complaint at the Sindhanur police station, seeking protection for themselves and Mounesh’s family members. Angered by this development, Manjula’s family allegedly stormed Mounesh’s house and began a quarrel with his parents, siblings, and sister. The situation escalated into a brutal attack, during which Manjula’s family members barged into the house and assaulted Mounesh’s family. The Sindhanur police rushed to the scene and arrested four of the accused at the crime spot.

Source: https://www.indiatribune.com/brutal-honour-killing-karnataka-court-hands-down-death-penalty-to-3-life-term-to-9-for-massacring-family

Telangana High Court upholds death sentences of 5 convicts in 2013 Dilsukhnagar twin blasts case

April 8, 2025 12:22 PM

Telangana High Court today upheld the death sentences awarded to five convicts in the 2013 Dilsukhnagar twin bomb blasts case. The court also dismissed the petitions filed by the convicts. A special court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) sentenced Yasin Bhatkal, Zia-ur-Rehman alias Waqas, Asadullah Akhtar alias Haddi, Tehseen Akhtar and Aizaz Shaikh to death for their roles in the twin blasts in which 18 people were killed and over 130 injured. The blasts occurred on the 21st of February 21 in 2013, at Dilsukhnagar market in Hyderabad.

The first explosion occurred near a bus stop in the Malakpet police limits, followed by a second blast seconds later near the A-1 Mirchi Centre shop under the Saroornagar police station area. Among the victims was an unborn child. After registering the FIRs, the Ministry of Home Affairs transferred the two cases to the NIA for investigation. During the investigation, the NIA arrested two senior operatives of Indian Mujahaddin, namely Ahmed Siddibappa Zaraar Alia’s Yaseen Bhatkal and Asadullah Akhtar alias Haddi, from the Indo-Nepal border in August 2013. In March 2014, Tehseen Akhtar and Pakistani national Zia-ur-Rehman were arrested by the Delhi Police in Rajasthan. Aizaz Shaikh, from Pune, was also held for his involvement in the conspiracy.

Source: https://www.newsonair.gov.in/telangana-hc-upholds-death-sentences-of-5-convicts-in-2013-dilsukhnagar-twin-blasts-case/#:~:text=12%3A22%20PM-,Telangana%20HC%20upholds%20death%20sentences%20of%205%20convicts%20in%202013,petitions%20filed%20by%20the%20convicts.

Punjab and Haryana High Court commutes death sentence of man convicted for rape, murder of daughter: ‘not rarest of rare case’

Written by Manraj Grewal Sharma

Chandigarh | April 3, 2025 11:31 PM IST

Court held that while there was no doubt about the brutal and heinous nature of the crime, the fact remains that the man has no criminal antecedents, hails from a poor socio-economic background, and his conduct inside the jail has been satisfactory.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court Thursday commuted the death sentence awarded to a man, for raping and murdering his six-year-old daughter in 2020, into life imprisonment without remission for 30 years. A division bench of Justices Gurvinder Singh Gill and Jasjit Singh Bedi ruled that while the prosecution had established a strong chain of circumstantial evidence linking the accused to the crime, the case did not meet the “rarest of rare” threshold required for capital punishment. 

Justices Gurvinder Singh Gill and Jasjit Singh Bedi

“While there is no doubt about the brutal and heinous nature of the crime committed by the accused who is none other than the father of the deceased, the fact remains that he has no criminal antecedents, hails from a poor socio-economic background, and his conduct inside the jail has been satisfactory. Further, at the time of the crime, he was 35 years years old,” the bench said.

The petitioner was convicted under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act by an Amritsar court in August 2024. The case dates back to January 2020, when the petitioner allegedly took his daughter from her maternal home and later informed the victim’s uncle that he had killed her. Her body was found hanging from a tree near a canal bridge in a village. A post-mortem confirmed rape.

His wife, who had been living with her parents as he used to get drunk and beat her, initially said he must have killed their six-year-old daughter. However, during cross-examination in court, she changed her statement, saying he loved all three of their children and would never brutalize any of them. The high court, citing Sharad Biridhichand Sarda v. State of Maharashtra (1984), stressed the importance of a complete chain of circumstances in cases based on circumstantial evidence. It found that the petitioner failed to provide any explanation for what happened after he took the child away.

The court noted that the petitioner was the last person seen with the victim. His silence on her whereabouts further strengthened the prosecution’s case.

Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chandigarh/hc-commutes-death-sentence-of-man-convicted-for-rape-murder-of-daughter-not-rarest-of-rare-case-9923422/

Andhra Pradesh - In a first, Chodavaram court awards death sentence

The 9th District Additional Sessions Judge Ratna Kumar gave a verdict here against Subbachari Gunashekar involved in a murder case of a six-year-old girl that occurred on Dec 23, 2015

02 April 2025

Anakapalli: For the first time in the history of Chodavaram court, an accused was sentenced to death. The 9th District Additional Sessions Judge Ratna Kumar gave a verdict here on Tuesday against the accused involved in a murder case of a six-year-old girl that occurred on December 23, 2015. The prosecution proved that the minor belonging to Devarapalli village was murdered by her uncle Subbachari Gunashekar. Vepada Dhana Lakshmi and Murugan from Khammam district were operating a hotel in Devarapalli.

Dhana Lakshmi engaged her younger brother Subbachari Gunashekar as a worker at the hotel. As he could not work well, he was removed from the job. Nursing a grudge against his sister, Gunashekhar hatched a plan to kill her sister’s daughter who was studying in a private school. Gunashekar went to the school on December 23, 2015 to pick up the child. Later, the minor was taken near the Raiwada Reservoir and brutally killed as Gunashekar used a broken beer bottle to slit her throat. Upon the girl not returning from school, Dhana Lakshmi lodged a complaint with the police on December 24 stating that her daughter went missing. With the guidance of ACP, Venkata Rao, the case was investigated, evidence was collected and produced before the court. The court agreed with the prosecution’s arguments and sentenced Subbachari Gunashekar to death.

Source: https://www.thehansindia.com/andhra-pradesh/in-a-first-chodavaram-court-awards-death-sentence-959121

Maharashtra - Mercy Petitions Cell for Death Row Convicts

02 April 2025

The Maharashtra government created a dedicated cell under the Additional Secretary (Home) to handle mercy petitions filed by death row convicts. This cell will ensure a prompt execution of the process.

Key Points Supreme Court Order: In December 2024, the Supreme Court directed all states to establish dedicated cells for handling mercy petitions of death row convicts.

The court observed that delays in executions had a dehumanizing effect on individuals awaiting their fate.

Formation of Maharashtra’s Dedicated Cell: 

• Following the SC order, the Maharashtra Home Department held a meeting to establish a dedicated cell.
• The nine-member committee includes senior prison officers, court officials, and other stakeholders.
• The committee will convene every three months to ensure prompt processing of mercy petitions.

Objective of the Committee: 

• Officials stated that delays in mercy petitions could unfairly benefit convicts and cause undue distress.
• The committee aims to ensure that mercy petitions are addressed at the earliest and their status is promptly conveyed to the convicts.

Mercy Petition 

About: 

• A mercy petition is a formal request made by someone who has been sentenced to death or imprisonment seeking mercy from the President or the Governor, as the case may be.
• The idea of Mercy Petition is followed in many countries like the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Canada, and India.
• Everyone has the basic right to live. It is also mentioned as a fundamental right mentioned under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution.

Philosophy behind: 

• The philosophy behind the pardoning powers in India is rooted in the recognition that no judicial system is infallible and the need for a mechanism to rectify potential judicial errors. 
• Rectification of Judicial Errors: This safeguard acts as a corrective measure against potential miscarriages of justice. For example, in 2012, 14 judges from the Supreme Court and High Courts, in separate letters to the President of India, highlighted cases from the 1990s where courts had wrongfully awarded capital punishment to 15 individuals, two of whom were subsequently executed.
• Maintaining Public Trust: One of the core objectives of the pardoning power is to uphold and maintain the trust of the common man in the criminal justice system.

Constitutional Framework: 

• As per the Constitutional framework in India, a mercy petition to the President is the last constitutional resort a convict can take when he is sentenced by a court of law. A convict can present a mercy petition to the President of India under Article 72 of the Constitution of India.
• Similarly, the power to grant pardon is conferred upon the Governors of States under Article 161 of the Constitution of India.

Article 72: 

• The President shall have the power to grant pardons, reprieves, respites or remissions of punishment or to suspend, remit or commute the sentence of any person convicted of any offence:
• In all cases where the punishment or sentence is by a Court Martial
• In all cases where the punishment or sentence is for an offence against any law relating to a matter to which the executive power of the Union extends
• In all cases where the sentence is a sentence of death.

Article 161: 

It provides that the Governor of a State shall have the power to grant pardons, reprieves, respites or remissions of punishment or to suspend, remit or commute the sentence of any person convicted of any offence against any law relating to a matter to which the executive power of the State extends.

The SC in 2021 held that the Governor of a State can pardon prisoners, including death row ones, even before they have served a minimum 14 years of prison sentence.

Source: https://www.drishtiias.com/state-pcs-current-affairs/mercy-petitions-cell-for-death-row-convicts