No leniency towards those involved in brutal murders: SC

Showing leniency towards a convict involved in brutal murders may undermine public confidence in the efficacy of law, the Supreme Court has said while confirming the death sentence on a man who raped and murdered two minor girls almost a decade ago. "Undue sympathy to impose inadequate sentence would do more harm to the justice system to undermine public confidence in the efficacy of law and society could not long endure such serious threats," a bench of Justices Arijit Pasayat and P Sathasivam observed in its recent judgement. "If for extremely heinous crime of murder, perpetrated in a very brutal manner without any provocation, the most deterrent punishment is not given then the case of deterrent punishment will lose its relevance," the apex court said. The court passed the observation while dismissing the appeal filed by Mohan Anna Chavan who had challenged the death penalty imposed on him by a sessions court for raping two minor girls. The Bombay High Court had earlier confirmed the death sentence on him following which he appealed in the apex court. The apex court noted that Chavan did not deserve any leniency as he had a notorious track record of raping minor girls and was convicted twice for such heinous offences. Chavan, was earlier sentenced to two years' imprisonment on 12th June, 1989 for kidnapping and raping a minor girl and on 28th July, 1989 for nine years in connection with the rape of another minor girl. In the present case, Chavan lured the two victims with sweets to nearby hills and raped them. The offence was committed on 13th December 1999 soon after he returned to his village in Satara district from Mumbai after serving the two earlier sentences. After raping and killing the two, Chavan dumped the body of one of the victim into a well and concealed the body of the other in bushes.

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