New Delhi, November 13
The Supreme Court has converted death sentence of a farmer from Ramgarh Shahpuria in Punjab into rigorous life imprisonment in a case of rape and murder of a minor girl studying in class II three years ago as the charge of murder could not be proved against him beyond reasonable doubts.

Though the court agreed that the rape by Amrit Singh was a “brutal”act, yet there was doubt about his murdering her and therefore only the maximum punishment of rigorous life imprisonment prescribed under the law for the offence could be awarded to him.

The child, who was barely about eight years old, was allured by the convict to his field on the evening of November 3, 2003, when she was returning home from the house of her classmate. Later, her body was found from there late at night, according to the police.

The post-mortem report stated that she had died due to excess bleeding and not due to strangulation as the prosecution had claimed, said a Bench of Mr Justice S.B. Sinha and Mr Justice Dalveer Bhandari, relying heavily on the doctor’s report in absence of direct evidence against the convict.

The trial court had sentenced him to death for rape and murder, which was confirmed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court. But in view of insufficient of evidence to prove the murder, the court acquitted him of the charge of killing the child after the rape, giving him benefit of doubt.