The Supreme Court recently acquitted a man who was sentenced to death by Sessions Court and Allahabad High Court for rape and murder of a six-year-old girl
A Bench of Justices UU Lalit, S Ravindra Bhat and PS Narasimha had earlier indicated that the top court would lay down guidelines to be followed by courts across India while considering award of death penalty.
The Supreme Court has placed great importance on the crime and criminal tests that examine the aggravating and mitigating circumstances surrounding a case.
The Bench led by Justices UU Lalit opined that such policies would undermine the independence of the prosecutors, their discretion, fair trial and judicial independence.
In a significant development, the Supreme Court on Friday initiated a suo motu case to examine and institutionalise award of death penalty by courts in India.