#Death Sentence

The Punjab and Haryana High Court held that a Section 27 statement is admissible only if it directly leads to the discovery of a new fact and is clearly linked to that fact. Applying this, the court excluded such statements in a murder-rape case, quashing death sentences and acquitting the accused, thereby tightening evidentiary standards.

The Punjab & Haryana HC reduced the death penalty for the rape-murder of a 7-year-old to life imprisonment with a mandatory fifty-year minimum and imposed fines of Rs 50 lakh and Rs 23 lakh. It also ruled that CCTV footage without a Section 65B certificate is inadmissible, raising evidentiary standards in grave sexual-offence cases.

Supreme Court set aside Dr. Abdul Hameed’s death sentence in the Samleti bus blast case after finding a fair trial violation. The denial of legal representation throughout proceedings rendered the conviction unsustainable, mandating a de-novo trial.