Woman, paramour get life in jail for murdering minor daughter

NEW DELHI: The A Delhi court has now sentenced a woman and her paramour to life imprisonment for murdering her minor daughter — stating that the proportion between the crime and the punishment for it continues to remain a strong factor in deciding the sentence for it.

The court of Additional Sessions Judge Arun Sukhija held,

“Proportion between crime and punishment is a goal respected in principle, and in spite of errant notions, it remains a strong influence in the determination of sentences.”

The court was deciding on the sentencing for the two — Munni Devi and Sudhir Kumar — both of whom were convicted in the murder case after Munni Devi confessed to having killed her daughter with Sudhir, her paramour by cutting her neck.

“At the juncture of awarding the sentence, Courts are expected to operate the sentencing system so as to impose such sentence which reflects the conscience of the society and the sentencing process has to be stern where it should be,” the court ruled, thereby awarding each of them life term in jail along with a nominal fine of Rs 10,000 on each.

“While awarding the sentence, court has to consider three elements for appropriate measure of punishment out of them one is the motive for the commission of the offence; while another is the magnitude of the offence; and third one is the character of the offender,” the court noted.

The court ordered for a nominal fine to be imposed on the accused after it was informed that both of them were not financially well-off.

The defence argued that the two had no past criminal record and that this was their first offence. They added that the two have been in jail since they were arrested in the case and that in this time, no adverse report has been received about their behaviour in prison.

Proportion between crime and punishment still key factor in deciding sentence, says court