Challenge in Bihar
In the tumultuous arena of Bihar politics, where alliances shift like sand dunes in the wind, this election seems poised to redefine the political landscape.
In what is being perceived as the highest single-day award of sentence, a division bench of Orissa High Court on Monday awarded judgments pertaining to as many as 75 cases, mostly related to convicts facing murder charges under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code.
The division bench of Justice Debabrata Dash and Justice SK Panigrahi had fixed Monday for delivery of judgment in 75 cases, of which had been continuing since June 2023. All these cases were criminal appeals against judgments, jail criminal appeals and government appeals.
The pronouncement in 75 cases is said to be one of the highest numbers of sentences awarded on a single day in judicial history of Orissa High Court. Earlier in September 2022, the bench of Justice Dash had delivered judgment in 32 matters, pertaining to mostly civil disputes, in a single day.
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Of the 75 cases, convicts in 31 cases have been acquitted and convicts in 10 cases charged under 302 were commuted to 304 (1) of IPC (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), which attracts imprisonment of 10 years.
In 34 cases, the division bench of Justice Dash and Justice Dr Panigrahi upheld life imprisonment under 302 of IPC awarded previously by lower court in the marathon court proceeding in Orissa HC. Most of the cases were six to seven years old while a few cases were above 10-year-old.
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