“‘He is doing Namaz several times’: Orissa High Court commutes death sentence of Sheikh Asif Ali, who was convicted for rape and murder of a 6 year old girl”, Opindia, June 26, 2024:
“On 20th June, the Orissa High Court commuted the death sentence of Sheikh Asif Ali to life imprisonment from death sentence. Asif is convicted of rape and murder of a six-year-old girl. The court noted in the judgment that Asif was consistently offering Namaz several times a day and he was ready to accept the punishment as “he has surrendered before God”. The court took his readiness to accept his punishment as a sign of remorse and potential to reform.
The Bench comprising of Justice SK Sahoo and Justice RK Pattnaik stated, “The punishment should not be disproportionately great is a corollary and it is dictated by the same principle that does not allow punishment of the innocent, for any punishment over what is deserved for the criminal conduct is punishment without guilt. There is no cogent evidence that the appellant is beyond reform and rehabilitation,” while commuting the death sentence to life imprisonment.
On 21st August 2014, the young victim and her minor cousin went to buy chocolates at around 2 PM. By 3 PM the girl did not return which worried her family. They called the villagers and initiated a search for her. The 6-year-old was found naked and unconscious in a narrow part of Sheikh Khairuddin’s house. She was rushed to a primary health care centre from where she was referred to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack. While she was being taken to the hospital, the victim succumbed to her injuries……”
Read the full article at Opindia.com
