Bhubaneswar, Aug. 26 -- The Orissa High Court has commuted the death sentence of a 50-year-old man, convicted of murdering his wife and attempting to kill their minor daughter, on Tuesday, holding that despite the "extremely barbaric" nature of the crime, the case did not qualify as one of the "rarest of rare" cases warranting capital punishment.
A Division Bench of Justice Manash Ranjan Pathak and Justice Sashikanta Mishra modified the death sentence awarded by the 2nd Additional Sessions Judge, Bhubaneswar, and sentenced Sanjeet Dash to life imprisonment, stipulating that he must serve at least 35 years in custody before becoming eligible for consideration of remission under law.
The High Court was hearing the death reference submitted ...