India, Aug. 29 -- The Supreme Court has said an appellate court cannot enhance the sentence of a convict on its own, in the absence of an appeal preferred by the State or the victim or the complainant.

The significant observation was made by the apex court in a sensational triple-murder case, in which a former vice-chancellor of the Calicut University, his wife and their security guard were killed.

A bench of Justices Manoj Misra and Vijay Bishnoi set aside a Madras High Court order that had enhanced the sentence of co-convict Gopi in the case from life imprisonment to a life term for the remainder of his life.

Life term refers to a sentence for the rest of a convict's natural life, but the duration can be reduced through remissions, w...