Click to play videoNew Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the death sentence given by a sessions court to a couple convicted of killing eight family members, setting aside aside the Haryana and Punjab High Court verdict reducing the sentence to life.
Sonia and Sanjeev – daughter and son-in-law of former Haryana MLA Relu Ram Punia – were accused to brutally murdering eight members of their family.
Those killed included Punia, his wife, daughter, son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren. "They say I have killed them. Can any girl do this with her parents?” said an inconsolable Sonia after hearing the apex court verdict.
Allowing the appeal by the Haryana government, the apex court said the high court was 'not justified' in commuting the death sentence.
It said, 'The instant case is one wherein accused Sonia, along with her husband Sanjiv, has not only put an end to the lives of her step brother and his whole family, which included three tiny tots of 45 days, two and half years years and 4 years, but also her own father, mother and sister in a very diabolic manner to stop her father from giving the property to her step brother and his family.'
“The Supreme Court considered the fact that Sonia has a minor daughter. But they finally gave her capital punishment,” said a lawyer.
The murder was committed on August 23, 2001. Sanjeev and Sonia allegedly entered the room where the family was sleeping and used an iron rod to beat them to death.
Their reason - the fact that Sonia's father did not love her.
But police say Sonia's father owned property worth crores in and around Delhi and the couple committed the crime for money. But Sonia and her husband are still claiming innocence.
“I am innocent. And finally truth will prevail,” said Sanjeev.
The lower court had had given the couple death sentence, which was commuted to life by the High Court.
But the Supreme Court overturned the High court order and chose to go with the sessions court instead.
Noting that “the brutality of the act is amplified by the grotesque and revolting manner”, the court said, “helpless victims were murdered and which is indicative of the fact that the act was diabolic of most superlative degree in conception and cruel in execution and that both the accused persons are not possessed of the basic humanness and completely lack the psyche or mindset which can be amenable for any reformation.”
“If this act is not revolting or dastardly, it is beyond comprehension as to what other act can be so. In view of these facts, we are of the view that there would be failure of justice in case death sentence is not awarded in the present case as the same undoubtedly falls within the category of rarest of rare cases and the high court was not justified in commuting death sentence into life imprisonment,” it added.
(With inputs from Ashish Dikshit, Rasika Tyagi and Agencies)
(For updates you can share with your friends, follow IBNLive on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest)
More on IBNLive Right Now
TOP NEWS
MOST SHARED
PHOTOGALLERY
