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Rajkumar v. State of Madhya Pradesh

Criminal Appeal · Neutral citation not assigned (Criminal Appeal Nos. 1419-1420 of 2013)Decided 25 Feb 2014
Criminal Appeal Nos. 1419-1420 of 2013
Justice B.S. Chauhan · Justice M.Y. Eqbal

Background

A family acquaintance stayed with children while their parents worked in the fields. He was convicted of raping and killing a fourteen-year-old girl; her younger brother witnessed the attack. The trial court imposed death for murder, and the High Court confirmed the convictions and sentences.

Decision Breakdown

The Court upheld the convictions after examining the child eyewitness's ability to understand questions and the corroborating forensic evidence. A witness's young age did not by itself make his account unreliable, and his fear explained his failure to raise an immediate alarm. However, the Court concluded that the case did not meet the exceptional threshold for capital punishment. It replaced death with life imprisonment requiring at least thirty-five years without remission before consideration of premature release, subject to constitutional clemency powers.

Lesson Learnt

Courts assess a child witness's understanding and the supporting evidence rather than rejecting testimony solely because of age. Even a very serious crime requires a separate, careful decision about whether death is justified.

Official source (sci.gov.in)View Judgment (PDF)

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