Kataka: The Orissa High Court on Tuesday commuted the death sentence awarded to a man convicted of murdering his wife and attempting to kill his minor daughter by slitting her throat in Ghatikia, sentencing him instead to life imprisonment for a fixed term of 35 years.
A Division Bench of Justice Manas Ranjan Pathak and Justice Sashikanta Mishra delivered the judgment in the case involving Sanjit Kumar Das, whose conviction and death penalty had earlier been imposed by a lower court.
While declining to uphold the capital punishment, the High Court modified Das’s conviction from Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code to Section 304 and sentenced him to life imprisonment, directing that he remain in jail for 35 years.
The court also enhanced the compensation payable to Das’s two daughters. The lower court had awarded Rs 5 lakh each to the two girls, but the High Court raised the compensation to Rs 10 lakh each.
The case had drawn widespread attention following the murder of Das’s wife and the brutal attack on his minor daughter, whose throat was slit during the incident at Ghatikia.
