Overview

• Justices Vivek Singh Thakur and Rakesh Kainthla converted the death penalties of Chander Sharma and Vikrant Bakshi to life imprisonment for the remainder of their natural lives.
• The court allowed Tejinder Pal Singh’s appeal and acquitted him of all charges in the kidnapping-and-murder case.
• The judges cited satisfactory jail conduct and said the record did not establish that the convicts cannot be reformed, so the death penalty could not be confirmed.
• For Sharma and Bakshi, convictions under IPC Sections 347 and 364A were set aside even as the court upheld guilt for murder and imposed natural-life terms.
• The court said it will frame practical guidelines for evaluating reformation prospects, and the victim’s father, Vinod Gupta, said he will appeal to the Supreme Court.