Undue sympathy to criminals would erode public confidence:SC

The Supreme Court has said that undue sympathy shown by courts towards criminals would undermine public confidence in the efficacy of law and promote lawlessness in the country. Undue sympathy to impose inadequate sentence would do more harm to the justice system by undermining the public confidence in the efficacy of law, and society, which could not endure such serious threats for long, it said. "It is, therefore, the duty of every court to award proper sentence having regard to the nature of the offence and the manner in which it was executed or committed," a bench of Justices Arijit Pasayat and Mukundakam Sharma observed. The apex court said security and property of the people are an essential function of the state and it could be achieved only through the instrumentality of criminal law. "The contagion of lawlessness would undermine social order and lay it in ruins. Protection of society and stamping out criminal proclivity must be the object of law which must be achieved by imposing appropriate sentence," it said. The bench passed the observation while partly setting aside a Punjab and Haryana High Court order which reduced to seven years the 10-year sentence of certain convicted persons in an attempt to murder case.

"Loved reading this piece by Prakash Yedhula?
Join LAWyersClubIndia's network for daily News Updates, Judgment Summaries, Articles, Forum Threads, Online Law Courses, and MUCH MORE!!"

Join our Telegram group

Join our Whatsapp group