New Delhi: The Supreme Court has given life to a man found guilty of raping and killing a widowed woman in 1998. The Supreme Court has ordered to commute the sentence of the convict from death to life imprisonment. During the hearing on Friday (November 4), the top court said that he was in solitary confinement in jail for about 10 years, which has adversely affected his health.

The top court heard a petition filed by BA Umesh, who was involved in the rape and murder of a widow in Bengaluru in 1998. During the hearing, the court observed that 'In the present case, the appellant was granted the death sentence in 2006 by the trial court and the mercy petition was finally disposed of by the President on 12 May 2013. This means that the imprisonment of the appellant in solitary confinement and isolation from 2006 to 2013 was without the sanction of law, which is totally against the principles laid down by the Court.'

A bench headed by Chief Justice (CJI) UU Lalit said, "In the present case, the term of solitary confinement is around 10 years. In such a situation, if the death sentence awarded to the appellant is commuted, then the goal of justice will be fulfilled.'' The Court observed that 'Solitary confinement has adversely affected the health of the appellant. In our view, the appellant is entitled to undergo imprisonment for a life less than the sentence of death. Shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which shall not be less than 30 years and shall be considered on its merits only if an application for exemption is made on his behalf.

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