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Suresh and another v. State of Haryana

Criminal Appeal · Neutral citation not assigned (Criminal Appeal No. 420 of 2012)Decided 28 Nov 2014
Criminal Appeal No. 420 of 2012
Justice V. Gopala Gowda · Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel

Background

A businessman and his son were abducted, ransom was demanded and both were killed. Police apprehended accused persons at a telephone booth and recovered bodies and belongings through their disclosures. The appellants challenged their convictions, and the Court also examined the victims' family's entitlement to State-funded compensation.

Decision Breakdown

The Court upheld the convictions and life sentences and directed the appellants into custody for the remaining terms. The established recoveries and ransom evidence supported guilt; failure to explain information uniquely known to the accused added support without relieving the prosecution of its burden. It ordered ₹10 lakh interim compensation for the two deaths to the widow through Haryana's Legal Services Authority, with State funding if needed. Courts were directed to consider immediate victim relief where tangible material and need existed, and to address compensation at final hearing even without an application. It also required specified States to notify schemes and called for higher compensation scales and judicial training.

Lesson Learnt

Victim support is a separate responsibility from convicting the offender. A court should consider necessary interim compensation and record a final compensation decision, so a bereaved family is not left without financial help merely because the trial focused on punishment.

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

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