Holding

The pardon granted to the approver was legal and valid, and the death sentence was not justified; it was reduced to life imprisonment.

Summary

The appellant, Santosh Kumar Satishbhushan Bariyar, was convicted of murder and sentenced to death, while his co‑accused received life imprisonment. The appellant challenged the legality of the Sessions Judge's grant of pardon to the approver (PW‑1) under Sections 306 and 307 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and argued that the death sentence violated the "rarest of rare" doctrine. The Supreme Court held that the Sessions Judge had properly exercised his power to grant pardon, as the procedural requirements of Section 306(4) were not mandatory for a court exercising power under Section 307. Applying the principles laid down in Bachan Singh, the Court found no special reasons or aggravating circumstances sufficient to place the case in the "rarest of rare" category and emphasized the mitigating factors, including the appellant's lack of criminal history and the possibility of rehabilitation. Consequently, the death sentence was commuted to rigorous imprisonment for life. Both the appellant's and the State's appeals were dismissed, leaving the life sentence in place.

Issues considered

Whether the Sessions Judge acted illegally in granting pardon to the accomplice (PW‑1) under Sections 306 and 307 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
Whether the facts of the case satisfy the "rarest of rare" test to justify the death penalty.

Legislation cited

Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973s. 164, s. 235(2), s. 306, s. 307, s. 354(3)
Constitution of Indias. Article 14, s. Article 21
Indian Penal Code, 1860s. 120B, s. 201, s. 25, s. 302, s. 364-A, s. 387, s. 4

Subjects

death penaltyrarest of rare doctrinepardon under CrPCcapital sentencingmitigating factorsconstitutional lawArticle 14Article 21Section 306Section 307

Judgment

(_
r-
[2009] 9 S.C.R. 90

~
A SANTOSH KUMAR SATISHBHUSHAN BARIYAR
v.
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA
"
(Criminal Appeal No. 1478 of 2005)

MAY 13, 2009
B
[S.8. SINHA AND CYRIAC JOSEPH, JJ.] )t
)

CODE OF CRIMINAL PROCEDURE, 1973;

c Sections 306, 307 - Tender of pardon to accomplice -
Power to direct - Discussed - On the facts of the case Held:
The pardon granted by the Sessions Judge was legal and .....
valid.
~
SENTENCING:
D
-
Death sentence - Rarest of rare cases - Special reasons
~·Mitigating factors - Discussed - On the facts of the case -
Held: There are no special reasons to record the death
penalty and the mitigating factors are sufficient to place it out
E of the rarest of rare category - Thus, it is not a case where
death penalty should be imposed - Instead of death penalty
appellant to undergo rigorous imprisonment for life - Code of
+-
Criminal Procedure, 1973, Sections 235(2) and 354(3) -
Constitution of India, Articles 14, 21. ·-
F DOCTRINES:

Doctrine of Prudence - Doctrine of Proportionality -
Applicability of.

In these appeals, the principal questions which arose
G
for consideration were: ~· --
(i) Whether the Sessions Judge acted illegally in
granting pardon to an accomplice (PW1 ); and
.....
H 90
I SANTOSH KUMAR SATISHBHUSHAN BARIYAR v.
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA
91

i (ii) Whether the case falls under 'rarest of rare A
cases' so as to enable the Courts below to
-~
award death penalty.

Dismissing the appeals and reducing the death
sentence to rigorous imprisonment for life, the Court B
:l<,
HELD: 1.1. The order of Sessions Judge dated 3rd
April, 2002 shows that the Judge not only applied his
mind on the application (Ext. P-7) for grant of pardon filed
by the Investigating Officer but also examined the
appellant by putting relevant questions to him. The c
Sessions Judge, therefore, did not pass the order dated
;.. .., 3rd April, 2002 only on the basis of the purported
confessional statement made by PW-1 on 1st November,
2001. It was not done mechanically. If in law it was not
necessary for the Magistrate to forward a copy of the D
confessional statement made by PW-1 under Section 164
of the Code of Criminal Procedure or to record a separate
statement of the said witness for the purpose of
complying with the provisions of Section 306 of the Code
of Criminal Procedure, the question as to whether he had E
" retracted from his confession or not would not be of
much relevance as regards exercise of power by the
--t ~essions Judge under Section 307 of the Code. [Para 9]
·' (126-A-D]
F
1.2. Magistrate in his evidence categorically opined
that PW-1 had told him that he had not signed the said
application retracting his confession. It may be that the
said fact was not borne out from the judicial records,
which were sent to the Sessions Judge with the order of
committal, but then there is no reason to disbelieve the G
- -• statement of the Magistrate. [Para 9] (126-0-F]

1.3. If it is to be held that in each and every case

i
- pardon can only be granted at the initial stage, the power
conferred upon the Sessions Judge to grant under H
92 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2009] 9 S.C.R. >-
..,

A Section 307 of the Code of Criminal Procedure for all ...
intent and purport shall become otiose. [Para 9] [128-E-
F] - '

1.4. In the instant case, the order of the judge granting
pardon to t~e Approver, is legal and valid. [Para 9] [128-
B
F-G]

Narayan Chetanram Chaudhary and Another v. State of
Maharashtra (2000) 8 sec 457, relied on.

c Rampa/ Pithwa Rahidas and Others v. State of
Maharashtra 1994 Supp (2) SCC 73, distinguished.

2. For an effective compliance of sentencing . ..:
procedure under section 364(3) and section 236(2) Cr.P.C,
sufficient discretion is a pre-condition. Strict channeling
D of discretion would also go against the founding
principles of sentencing as it wm prevent the sentencing
court to identify and weigh various factors relating to the
crime and the criminal such as culpability, impact on the
society, gravity of offence, motive behind the crime etc.
E [Para 11] [129-F-G]

Bachan Singh v. State of Punjab (1980) 2 SCC 684,
relied on. f-
,.,
Rajendra Prasad v. State of Uttar Pradesh (1979) 3 SCC
F
646; Saibanna v. State of Karnataka (2005) 4 SCC 165 and
Mithu v. State of Punjab AIR 1983 SC 473 - r«llied on.

Furman v. Georgia, 408 U.S. 238 (1972); Reyes v. R.
(2002) UKPC 11 : 12 BHRC 219; Hughes, R. v. (Saint Lucia)
G (2002) UKPC 12; Fox v. The Queen (2002) 2 AC 284; Bowe
v. The Queen (2006) 1 WLR 1623 and Coard & Ors. v. The •-
Attorney General (Grenada), (2007) UKPC
\
7, referred to.

3. It is accepted that rarest of rare case is to be
determined in the facts and circumstance. of a given case
H
(

'(

.... SANTOSH KUMAR SATISHBHUSHAN BARIYAR v.
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA
93

i A
and there is no hard and fast rule for that purpose. There
are no strict guidelines. But a sentencing procedure is
.-- suggested. This procedure is in the nature of safeguards
and has an overarching embrace of rarest of rare dictum.
Therefore, it is to be read with Article 21 and 14. [Para 12]
[133-A-C] B

-'-, Swamy Shraddananda @ Murali Manohar Mishra v.
State of Karantaka 2008 (10) SCALE 669, referred to.
I

mm' 4. Under section 235(2) and 354 (3) of the Criminal
Procedure Code, there is a mandate as to a full fledged c
bifurcated hearing and recording of "special reasons" if
the court inclines to award death penalty. In the specific
backdrop of sentencing in capital punishment, and th~t
the matter attracts constitutional prescription in full force,
+ it is incumbent on the sentencing court to overse,e D
comprehensive compliance to both the provisions. A
scrupulous compliance of both provisions is necessary
such that an informed selection of sentence could be

- based on the information collected and collated at this
stage. [Para 13] [133-C-E]

Santa Singh v. State of Punjab, AIR 1956 SC 526;
Malkiat Singh and Ors. v. State of Punjab, (1991) 4 SCC 341,;
E

~

r
Al/audin Mian- v. State of Bihar, AIR 1989 SC 1456;
Muniappan v. State of Tamil Nadu, (1981) 3 SCC 11';
F
Jumman Khan v. State of U.P, (1991) 1 SCC 752 and Anshad
and Ors. v. State of Kamataka, (1994) 4 SCC 381, referred
to.

5. The court must play a proactive role to record all
relevant information at this stage. Some of the information G

- ... relating to crime can be culled out from the phase prior
to sentencing hearing. This information would include,
aspects relating to the nature, motive and impact of crime,
culpability of convict etc. Quality of evidence adduced is 1

,.... also a relevant factor. [Para 14) [133-G-H; 134-A] H
94 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2009] 9 S.C.R.
+-----

A Bachan Singh v. State of Punjab (1980) 2 SCC 684, ,.
relied on.

"Law Commission's 48th Report", referred to.
-.
6. "Rarest of rare cases" is an exceptionally narrow
B opening provided in the domain of this negative precept.
This opening is also qualified by another condition in
form of "when the alternative option is unquestionably ,.Jc

foreclosed". Thus, in essence, rarest of rare dictum
imposes a wide-ranging embargo on award of death
c punishment, which can only be revoked if the facts of the
case successfully satisfy the double qualification viz. 1.
that the case belongs to the rarest of rare category 2. and
the alternative option of life imprisonment will just not
suffice in the facts of the case. Rarest of rare dictum
D serves as a guideline in enforcing section 354(3) and +
entrenches the policy that life imprisonment is the rule
and death punishment is an exception. It is a settled law
of interpretation that exceptions are to be construed
narrowly. That being the case, the rarest of rare dictum
E -places an extraordinary burden on the court, in case it
, I

se•ects death punishment as the favoured penalty, to
carry out an objective assessment of facts to satisfy the
exceptions ingrained in the rarest of rare dictum. The
~-
background analysis leading to the conclusion that the
-.
F case belongs to rarest of rare category must conform to
highest standards of judicial rigor and thoroughness as
the norm under analysis is an exceptionally narrow
exception. A conclusion as to the rarest of rare aspect
with respect to a matter shall entail identification of
aggravating and mitigating circumstances relating both
G
to the crime and the criminal. [Para 15] [135-C-G]
t _,
Ravji alias Ram Chandra v. State of Rajasthan, (1996)
2 SCC 175; Shivaji@ Dadya Shankar A/hat v. The State of
Maharashtra, AIR 2009 SC 56; Mohan Anna Chavan v. State
H
--- SANTOSH KUMAR SATISHBHUSHAN BARIYAR v. 95
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA

i of Maharashtra (2008) 11 SCC 113; Bantu v. The State of A
U.P., (2008) 11 SCC 113; Surja Ram v. State of Rajasthan,
,._ (1996) 6 SCC 271; Dayanidhi Bisoi v. State of Orissa, (2003)
9 SCC 310; State of U.P. v. Sattan @ Satyendra and Ors.,,
2009 (3) SCALE 394, referred to.
B
7 .1. Bachan Singh suggested selection of death
punishment as the penalty of last resort when, alternative
.....
punishment of life imprisonment will be futile and serves
no purpose, death punishment, qualitatively stands on a
~

very different footing from other types of punishments.
It is unique in its total irrevocability. Incarceration, life or
c
otherwise, potentially serves more than one sentencing
aims. Deterrence, incapacitation, rehabilitation and
- ..-
retribution - all ends are capable to be furthered in,
different degrees, by calibrating this punishment in light
of the overarching penal policy. But the same does not : D
hold true for the death penalty. It is unique in its absolute
rejection of the potential of convict to ,rehabilitate and '
reform. It extinguishes life and thereby terminates the
being, therefore puts an end anything to do with the life.
---4
This is the big difference between two punishments. , E
Before imposing death penalty, therefore, it is imperative
to consider the same. Rarest of rare dictum, hints at this
... difference between death punishment and the alternative
punishment of life imprisonment. The relevant question 1

here would be to determine whether life imprisonment as F
a punishment will be pointless and completely devoid of '
reason in the facts and circumstances of the case? Life
imprisonment can be said to be completely futile, only
when the sentencing aim of reformation can be said to
be unachievable. Therefore, for satisfying the second G
exception to the rarest of rare doctrine, the court will have
-- • to provide clear evidence as to why the convict is not fit
for any kind of reformatory and rehabilitation scheme.
This analysis can only be done with rigor when the court
H
\
•

96 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2009] 9 S.C.R. i.-

A focuses on the circumstances relating to the criminal, ~

along with other circumstanc~s. This is not an easy
.......,
conclusion to be deciphered, but Bachan Singh sets the
bar very high by introduction of Rarest of rare doctrine.
[Para 16] [137 -0-H; 138-A-D] '·I
,_
B
7.2. Bachan Singh while enunciating rarest of rare
doctrine, did not deal with the role and responsibility of ,._ {
sentencing court and the appellate court separately. For
that matter, this court did not specify any review •
.
I

A
standards for High Court and the Supreme Court. In that 1·
c event, all courts, be it trial court, High Court or this court,
I

f
are duty bound to ensure that the ratio laid down therein ~
is scrupulously followed. Same standard of rigor and· .. ~
I

fairness are to be followed by the courts. If anything,
inverse pyramid of responsibility is applicable in death ,..
0 penalty cases. [Para 17] [140-B-D]
-
7.3. It has been observed, generally and more
specifically in the context of death punishment, that
sentencing is the biggest casualty in crimes of brutal and
E -heinous nature. Our capital sentencing jurisprudence is f
thin in the sense that there is very little objective
discussion on aggravating and mitigating circumstances.
In most such cases, courts have only been considering ... }i_
the brutality of crime index. There may be other factors
F which may not have been recorded. ··,
[Para 18] [140-F-H;
141-A]

, 7.4. There is no consensus in the court on the use
of "social necessity" as a sole justification in death
punishment matters. The test which emanates from
G Bachan Singh in clear terms is that the courts must
engage in an analysis of aggravating and mitigating
circumstances with an open rnirid, relating both to crime
. of the gravity or nature of
and the criminal, irrespective . .

crime under consideration. ·A dispassionate analysis, on
H the aforementioned counts, is a must. The courts while •'

r
SANTOSH KUMAR SATISHBHUSHAN BARIYAR v. 97
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA

adjudging on life and death must ensure that rigor and A
fairness are given primacy over sentiments and
emotions. [Para 18] (140-F-H; 141-A]

7.5. Article 14 and 21 are constitutional safeguards
and define the framework for State in its functions, 8
including penal functions. They introduce values of
institutional propriety, in terms of fairness,

. reasonableness and equal treatment, challenge with
respect to procedure to be invoked by the State in its
dealings with people in various capacities, including as C
a convict. The position is, if the State is precariously
placed to administer a policy within the confines of
Articles 21 and 14, it should be applied most sparingly.
This view flows from Bachan Singh and Constitution does
not permit to take a re-look on the capital punishment
policy an'd meet society's cry for justice through this G
instrument. [Para 19] (146-8-D]

7.6. The fact that this Court is dealing with safeguards
entrenched in the Constitution should materially change
the way it look for reasons while awarding the death E
punishment. The arguments which may be relevant for
sentencing with respect to various other punishments
may cease to apply in light of the· constitutional
safeguards which come into operation when the question
relates to extinguishment of life. If there are two . F
considerations, the one which has a constitutional origin
shall be favoured. [Para 19] [146-D-F]

7.7. The constitutional role of the judiciary also
mandates taking a perspective on individual rights at a
higher pedestal than majoritarian aspirations. To that G
extent this Court plays a countermajoritarian role. And
this part of debate is not only relevant in the annals of
judicial review, but also to criminal jurisprudence. [Para
19] [148-A-B]
H
98 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2009] 9 S.C.R.

A 7.8. Public Opinion may also run counter to the Rule
of law and constitutionalism. Bhagalpur Blinding case or
the recent spate of attacks on right to trial of the accused
in the Bombay Blast Case are recent examples. This
Court is also not oblivious to the danger of capital
B sentencing becoming a spectacle in media. If media trial
is a possibility, sentencing by media can not be ruled out.
[Para 19] [148-E-F]

7.9. Capital sentencing is one such field where the
safeguards continuously take strength from the •
C Constitution, and on that end this Court is of the view that
public opinion does not have any role to play. In fact, the
case where there is overwhelming public opinion
favouring death penalty would be an acid test of the
constitutional propriety of capital sentencing process.
D [Para 19] [150-C-D]'

Bachan Singh v~ State of Punjab (1980) 2 SCC 684;
Panchhi v. State of U.P. (1998) 7 SCC 177; State of
Maharashtra v. Sindhi 1 (1975) 1 SCC 647; Vashram .
}

E Narshibhai Rajpara v. State of Gujarat (2002) 9 SCC 168; Om
Prakash v. State of Haryana, (1999) 3 SCC 19 and ·
Dharmendrasinh v. State of Gujarat, (2002) 4 SCC 679, relied
on.

F West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette, 319
U.S. 624 (1943), referred to. "

Michael Hough: "Sentencing and the Climate of Opinion
(1996, Criminal Law Review), referred to.

G 8.1. This court laid down rarest of rare dictum in
Bachan Singh and thereby endorsed a broad sentencing
threshold. It has been interpreted by courts in various
ways. It is important to note here that principled
application of rarest of rare dictum does not come in the
H
SANTOSH KUMAR SATISHBHUSHAN BARIYAR v. 99
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA
way of individualized sentencing. With necessary room A
for sentencing, consistency has to be achieved in the
manner in which rarest of rare dictum has to be applied
by courts. Bachan Singh expressly barred one time
enunciation of minute guidelines through a judicial
verdict. The court held that only executive is competent B
to bring in detailed guidelines to regulate discretion. On
this count judicial restraint was advocated. But at the
....
sarne time, it actively relied on judicial precedent in
disciplining sentencing discretion to repel the argument
of arbitrariness and Article 14 challenge. An embargo on c
introduction of judicial guidelines was put therein but
organic evolution of set of principles on sentencing
through judicial pronouncements was not ruled out. This
is how precedent aids development of law in any branch
of law and capital sentencing can not be an exception to
-<I
D
this. [Para 20) [150-E-H; 151-A-B]

8.2. Sentencing discretion is also a kind of discretion
and shall be exercised judicially in the light of the
precedents. [P~ra 20) [151-8-C]
I
E
" 8.3. While dealing with a matter as to whether death
penalty should be awarded or not, although the court
ordinarily would look to the precedents, but, this
... becomes extremely difficult, if not impossible. There is no
uniformity of precedents, to say the least. In most cases, F
the death penalty has been affirmed or refused to be
affirmed without laying down any legal principle. [Para 23)
[155-A-B]

8.4. Even the balance-sheet of aggravating and
mitigating circumstances approach invoked on a case by G
case basis has not worked sufficiently well so as to
remove the vice of arbitrariness from our capital
sentencing system. It can be safely said that the Bachan
Singh threshold of "rarest of rare cases" has been most
variedly and inconsistently applied by the various High H
100 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2009] 9 S.C.R.

A Courts as also this court. At this point this Court wish to .,
point out that the uncertainty in the law of ··capital
sentencing has special consequence as the matter
relates to death penalty - the gravest penalty arriving out
of the exercise of extraordinarily wide sentencing
B discretion, which is irrevocable in nature. This extremely
uneven application of Bachan Singh has given rise to a
state of uncertainty in capital sentencing law which
.~
clearly falls fou~ of constitutional due process and
equality principle. The situation is unviable ·as legal
c discretion which is conferred on the executive or the
judiciary is only sustainable in law if there is any
indication, either through law or precedent, as to the
scope of the discretion and the manner of its exercise.
There should also be sufficient clarity having regard to
the legitimate aim of the measure in question. Constitution
D 1--
of India provides for safeguards to give the individual
ade.quate protection against arbitrary imposition of
criminal punishment. [Para 23] (157-A-E]

8.5. One cannot help but observe the global move
E away from the death penalty. Latest statistics show that
138 nations have now abolished the death penalty in
•';·
either law or practice (no executions for 10 years). Our
own neighbours, Nepal and Bhutan are part of these
;..
abolitionist nations while others including Philippines and
F South Korea have also recently joined the abolitionist
group, in law and in practice respectively. The United
Nations General Assembly adopted resolution 62/149
calling upon countries that retain the death penalty to
establish a worldwide moratorium on executions with a
G view to abolishing the death penalty. India is, however,
one of the 59 nations that retain the death penalty.
Credible research, perhaps by the Law Commission of
India or the National Human Rights Commission may
allow for an up to date and informed discussion and
H
SANTOSH KUMAR SATISHBHUSHAN BARIYAR v. 101
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA
debate on the subject. [Para 23] [157-F-H; 158-A-B] A

Bachan Singh v. State of Punjab (1980) 2 SCC 684,
relied on. ·

Jagmohan Singh v. State of U.P., (1973) 1 SCC 20; Ram
Singh v. Sonia and Ors. 2007 (3) SCALE 106; Prajeet Kumar B
Singh v. State of Bihar 2008 (4) SCALE 442; Bantu v. State
of Uttar Pradesh 2008 (10) SCALE 336; State of U.P. v.
Sattan, 2009 (3) SCALE 394; Ujjagar Singh v. State of
Punjab, 2007 (14) SCALE 428; Amrit Singh v. State of
Punjab 2006 (11) SCALE 309; Bishnu Prasad Sinha and Anr. C
v. State of Assam 2007 (2) SCALE 42; State of Maharashtra
v. Prakash Sakha Vasave and others, 2009 (1) SCALE 713;
Aloke Nath Dutt and Ors. v. State of West Bengal, 2006 (13)
SCALE 467; Swamy Shraddananda v. State of Karnataka
(Swamy Shraddananda - I) (2007) 12 SCC 288 and Machhi D
Singh v. State of Punjab, (1983) 3 SCC 470, referred to.

"Journal of the Indian Law Institute 1979" and a joint
report by the Amnesty International - India and People's
Union for Civil Liberties Report titled "Lethal Lottery: The E
Death Penalty in India, A study of Supreme Court Judgments
in death penalty cases 1950-2006", referred to.

9.1. In one sense, the scope of Bachan Singh was
fully met when it practically declared death penalty
(procedurally and substantively) constitutional but the F
Ben.ch went on to entrench an unprecedented
. jurisprudence on the sentencing front. This
jurisprudence, of which Rarest of rare dictum is the ,
central part, forms the bed rock of death penalty
jurisprudence. The way ahead shown by Bachan Singh .G
is not merely in compliance of statutory safeguards
under section 354(3) and section 235(2) but also of Rarest
of rare dictum. Therefore, the overall legislative scheme
on death penalty was cleared of constitutional challenge
H
102 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2009] 9 S.C.R.

A only after it was conjoined with the Rarest of rare di~tum.
[Para 24]

9.2. On a deeper reading· of Bachan Singh it becomes
clear thatthe court was operating under two fundamental
constraints while dealing with the constitutionality
8
challenge. Firstly, death penalty is mentioned in the
.A
Constitution (for instance under Article 161 and Article
72(1)(c). Constitutional recognition wa.s taken to be a
primary signal for the legitimacy for section 302.
Secondly, owing to separation of power doctrine, the
C court took a deferential view towards section 354(3)
which was brought in to discipline the courts on death
penalty by making life imprisonment the rule and death
penalty exception. Laboring under the aforementioned
constraints, the death penalty was held constitutional.
D This affirmative response to constitutionality of death
penalty presented another complicated challenge which
related to administration of death penalty or in other
words, sentencing of capital punishment. This has been
universally con_sidered as a vexed question of law and
E practice and has not been satisfactorily dealt with in any
jurisdiction so far. [Para 24] [159-8-D]

Bachan Singh v. State of Punjab (1980) 2 SCC 684,
relied on.
F Ram Deo Chauhan v. State of Assam (2001) 5 SC 714
and State of Punjab v: Prem Sagar and Ors. JT 2008 (7) SC
66, referred to.

10.1. Justice must be the first virtue of the law of
G sentencing. A sentencing court must consider itself to be
a "forum of principle". The central idea of such a forum
is its continuing commitment to inhere a doctrinal
approach around a core normative idea. "Principled
reasoning" flowing from judicial precedent or legislation
H
SANTOSH KUMAR SATISHBHUSHAN BARIYAR v. 103
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA
is the premise from which the courts derive the power. A
The movement to preserve substantial judicial discretion
to individualize sentences within a range of punishments
also has its basis in the court's ability to give principled
reasoning. [Para 25] [161-A-C]
B
R. v. Willaert (1953), 105 C.C.C. 172 (Ont. C.A.),
referred to.

10.2. The sentencing process, based on precedents
around Bachan Singh should help to determine specific, ,
deserved sentences in particular cases. The reason as C
to why questions of justice play such an important part
in the distribution of capital punishment, lies in the
special nature of capital punishment itself. Distributive
justice is a relative notion: one can never determine
whether one has received one's fair share except by O
comparison with that which has been allocated to others.
Both questions are intertwined. [Para 25] [162-b-F]

Bachan Singh v. State of Punjab (1980) 2 SCC 684,
relied on. E
Ronald Dworkin, The Forum of Principle 56 NYU L. Rev.
469 (1981 ); Von Hirsch and Andrew Ashworth, The
Sentencing Theory Debate:Convergence in Outcomes,
Divergence in Reasoning Proportionate Sentencing:
Exploring The Principles, Oxford University Press, 2005 F
Jeremy Bentham, An Introduction to the Principles of Morals
and Legislation, in A Fragment of Government with An
Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation 281
(1948) and Marvin E. Frankel, Lawlessness in Sentencing, 41
U. Cin. L. Rev. 1 (1972), referred to. G
)
11.1. When the ·court is faced with a capital
sentencing case, a comparative analysis of the case
before it with other purportedly similar cases would be
in the fitness of the scheme of the Constitution.
H
104 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2009] 9 S.C.R.

A Comparison will presuppose an identification of a pool
of equivalently circumstanced capital defendants. The
gravity, nature and motive relating to crime will play a role
in this analysis. Next step would be to deal with th.e
subjectivity involved in capital cases. The imprecision of
B the identification of aggravating and mitigating
circumstances has to be minimized. It is to be noted that
the mandate of equality clause applies to the sentencing
process rather than the outcome. The comparative review
must be undertaken not to channel the sentencing '\
C discretion available to the courts but to bring in
consistency in identification of various relevant
circumstances. [Para 26] (166-0-G]

11.2. The aggravating and· mitigating circumstances .
have to be separately identified under a rigorous
D measure. Bachan Singh, when mandates principled
precedent based sentencing, compels careful scrutiny of
mitigating circumstances and aggravating circumstances
and then factoring in a process by which aggravating and
mitigating .circumstances appearing from the pool of
E comparable cases can be compared. The weight which
is accorded by the court to particular aggravating and
mitigating circumstances may vary from case to case in
the name of individualized sentencing, but at the same
time reasons for apportionment of weights shall be
F forthcoming. Such a comparison may point out
excessiveness as also will help repel arbitrariness,
objections inJuture. A sentencing hearing, comparative·
review of cases and similarly aggravating and mitigating
circumstances analysis can only be given a go by if the
G sentencing court opts for a life imprisonment. [Para 26]
f 166-G-H; 167-A-D].
.12.1. Right to life, in its barest of connotation would
imply right to mere survival. In this form, right to life is the
most fundamental of all rights. Consequently a
H
mlll!" SANTOSH KUMAR SATISHBHUSHAN BARIYAR v. 105
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA
j
punishment which aims at taking away life is the gravest A
• punishment. Capital punishment imposes. a limitation on
the essential content of the fundamental right to life,
eliminating it irretrievably. This Court realizes the absolute
nature of this right, in the sense that it is a source of all
other rights. Other rights may be limited, and may even B
be withdrawn and then granted again, but their ultimate
limit is to be found in the preservation of the right to life.
Right to life is the essential content of all rights under the.
Constitution. If life is taken away all, other rights cease
to exist. [Para 28] [167-H; 168-A-C] c
12.2. In the context of punishments, the protections
"' emanating from Article 14 and Article 21 have to be
applied in the strictest possible terms; At this juncture, it
is best to point out that the ensuing discussion, although
applicable in constitutionality context, is carried out in the D
conte~t of sentencing of death punishment. In ever·y
capital sentence case, it must be borne in mind that the
threshold of rarest of rare cases is informed by Articles
14 and 21, owing to the inherent nature of death penalty.
Post Bachan Singh, capital sentencing has come into the E
folds of constitutional adjudication. This is by virtue of the
safeguards entrenched in Articles 14 and 21 of our
.\
..... constitution. [Para 28] [169-C-F]

Shankar/a/ Gyarasilal Dixit v. State of Maharashtra F
(1981) 2 sec 35, referred to.

S v. Makwanyane 1994 (3) SA 868 (A); Lockett, [438
U.S. at 604 and Rummel v. Estelle, 445 U.S. 263, 272
(1980), referred to.
G
..:- J 12.3. With non-capital punishments, a more severe
punishment for one offender than another is commonly
accepted, even in similar circumstances. The infinite
gradations of guilt and the limits of human capacity to
ti
. \

106 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2009) 9 S.C.R.

A judge causes one to overlook differential treatment of
apparently similar convicts. As the relative severity of .,.
punishment increases, however, it becomes more difficult
to overlook sentencing disparities. Death is the mq~t
severe of all punishments. [Para 29] [169-G-H; 17Q-A]
B
13.1. During the sentencing proces!?, th~ §~nttmc.ing
court or the appellate court for th~t rn~tter 1 h.~§ tg rt?~(:h ~-

tQ ~ fimf!rrn gf ~ rnti~Hrnl ang gbjegtiv@ QQrm~c:tion
between capital p,~ni~hmtmt ~'1~ th@ JUff P.P~e fQr whic.h
C it is prescrib~~· In sentt!l1~iflQ tt!rms, !l~p~cial reasons"
.~s ~nvisag~d ~11der ~ection 3~4(~) Cr.P.C. have to satisfy
the cqmmuC!tiv~ utility which capital sentence would
serve over life imprisonment in the particular case. [Para
30) [171-8-D]

D 13.2. Principle of prudence, enunciated by Bachan
Singh is sound counsel ·· whenever in the given
circumstances, there is difference of opinion with respect
to any sentencing prop/rationale, or subjectivity involved
in the determining factors, or lack of thoroughness i~
E complying with the sentencing procedure, it would be
advisable to fall in favour of the "rule" of lif~
imprisonment rather than invoking the "exc~gt~on" of
-
death punishment. [Para 30) ·[172-E-Fl f·

R. v. Oakes, [1986) 1 5.C.R. 103 and R. v. Chaulk,
F [1990) 3 5.C.R. 1303, referred to.

"Anthony Bottoms, The Philosophy and Politics of
Punishment and Sentencing, in The Politics of Sentencing
Reform" 20 (C.M.V. Clarkson & R. Morgan eds., 1995),
G referred to.

14.1. The doctrine of proportionality, which appears
-..
to be the premise whereupon the trial judge as also the
High Court laid its foundation for awarding death penalty
H on the appellant herein, provides for justifiable reasoning
SANTOSH KUMAR SATISHBHUSHAN BARIYAR v. 107
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA
for awarding death penalty. However while imposing any A
~ sentence on the accused the court must also keep in mind
!~e doctrine of rehabilitation. This, considering Section
~ey4(3) of the Code, is especially so in the cases where
th~ '~o~rt i~ ~o ~et~rrnine whether the case at hand falls
within the rar~st of the rnr~ c~~e~ The r~asons assigned B
by the courts below, d<? not satisfy Bachan Singh Test.
$ection ~§4 (3) of the Code provides for an exception.
General rule of doctrine of proportionality, therefore,
WQUld nQfCJpply. One must read the said provision in the
light of ArtiCie 21 of the Constitution of India. [Para 31] C
[176-E-H; 177-A]

14.2. law laid down by Bachan Singh and Machhi
Singh interpreting Section 354 (3) of the Code should be
taken to be a part of our constitutional scheme. Although
the Constitutional Bench judgment of the Supreme Court D
in Bachan Singh did not :.iy down any guidelines on
determining which cases fall within the 'rarest of rare'
categ_ory, yet the mitigating circumstances listed in and
endorsed by the judgment gives reform and rehabilitation
great importance, even requiring the State to prove that E
this would not be possible, as a precondition before the
court awarded a death sentence. One cannot therefore
determine punishment on grounds of proportionality
alone. There is nothing befo~e this Court that shows that
the appellant cannot reform and be rehabilitated. [Para 31] i=
[177-A-D]

14.3. Indisputably, the manner and method of
disposal of the dead body of the deceased was abhorrent
and goes a long way in making the present case a most
foul and despicable case of murder. However, the mere G
mode of disposal of a dead body may not by itself be
made the ground for inclusion of a case in the "rarest of
rare" category for the purpose of imposition of the death
sentence. [Para 31] [178-A-B]
H
108 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2009) 9 S.C.R.

A 14.4. Most research on this issue shows that the
relationship between deterrence and severity of
punishment is complicated. It is not obvious how
deterrence relates to severity and certainty. Furthermore
criminal policy must be evidence-led rather than based
8 on intuitions, which research .around the world has
shown too often to be wrong. In the absence of any
significant empirical attention to this question by Indian
criminologists, one cannot assume that severity .of
punishment correlates to deterrence to an extent which
justifies the restriction of the most fundamental human
C right through the impo$ition of the death penalty. The
goal of crime reduction can be achieved by better police
and prosecution service to the same or at least to a great
extent than by the imposition of the death penalty. [Para
D 31] [178-F-H; 179-A]

Bachan Singh v. State of Punjab (1980) 2 SCC 684;
Dhananjoy Chatterjee v. State of W.B. (1994) 4 SCC 220;
Mohan and Others v. State of T.N. (1998) 5 SCC 336 and
Ravindra Trimbak Chouthmal v. State of Maharashtra (1996)
E 4 SCC 148, referred to.

Kennedy v. Lousiana 128 S. Ct. 2641, referred to.

Roger Hood, The Death Penalty- A World-wide
Perspective, Oxford, Clarendon Press, third edition, 2002, p.
F 230, referred to.

15.1. In the instant case, the entire prosecution case
hinges on the evidence of the approver. For the purpose
of imposing death penalty, that factor may have to be
G kept in mind. Assuming that in Swamy Shraddananda,
this Court did not lay down a firm law that in a case
involving circumstantial evidence, imposition of death
penalty would not be permissible. But, even in relation
thereto the question which would arise would be whether
H
SANTOSH KUMAR SATISHBHUSHAN BARIYAR v. 109 •
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA
in arriving at a conclusion some surmises, some A
hypothesis would be necessary in regard to the manner
.- in which the offence was committed as contra-
distinguished from a case where the manner of
occurrence had no role to play. Even where sentence of
death is to be imposed on the basis of the circumstantial B
evidence, the circumstantial evidence must be such
which leads to an exceptional case. In a case of this
nature where the entire prosecution case revolves round
the statement of an approver or dependant upon the
circumstantialevidence, the prudence doctrine should be c
invoked. For the aforementioned purpose, at the. stage of
sentencing evaluation of evidence would not be
permissible, the courts not only have to solely depend
upon the findings arrived at for the purpose of recording
a judgment of conviction, but also consider the matter
0
keeping in view of evidences which have been brought
on record on behalf of the parties and in particular the
accused for imposition of a lesser punishment. A
statement of approver in regard to the manner in which
crime has been committed vis-a-vis the role played by the
accused, on the one hand, and that of the approver, on E
the other, must be tested on the touchstone of the
prudence doctrine. [Para 32] [179-F-H; 180-A-D]

15.2. The accused persons were not criminals. They
were friends. The deceased was said to have been F
selected because his father was rich. The motive, if any,
was to collect some money. They were not professional
- killers. They have no criminal history. All were
unemployed and were ..searching for jobs. [Para 32] [180-
E-F] G
15.3. Further if age of the accused was a relevant
factor for the High Court for not imposing death penalty
on accused No. 2 and 3, the same standard should have
been applied to the case of the appellant also who was
H
110 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2009] 9 S,CR. :

A only two years older and still a young man in age.
Accused Nos. 2 and 3 ~ere as much a part of the crime
.,,..
as the appellant. Though it is true, that it was he who
allegedly proposed the idea of kidnapping, but at the
same time it must not be forgotten that the said plan was
B only executed when all the persons involved gave their
consent thereto. [Para 32] [180-F-H; 181-A]
A
15.4. It must be noted that the discretion given to the
·court in such cases assumes onerous importance and
~.
its exercise becomes extremely difficult because of the
c irrevocable character of death penalty. One of the
principles which this Court thinks is clear is that the case
is such where two views ordinarily could be taken.,
imposition of death sentence would not be appropriate,
but where there is no other option and it is shown ~hat
- ~

D reformation is not possible, death sentence may.'be
imposed. [Para 32] (181-A-C]
"
15.5. Section 354(3) of the Code of Criminal
Procedure requires that when the conviction is for an
E offence punishable with death or in the alternative with
imprisonment for life or imprisonment for a term of y~ars,
the judgment shall state the reasons for the sentence
awarded, and in the case of sentence of death, the •
special reasons thereof. The reasons assigned by the
F courts below do not disclose any special reason to
i-·
...
uphold the death penalty. The discretion granted to the
courts must be exercised very cautiously especially
because of the irrevocable character to death penalty.
Requirements of law to assign Sjlecial reasons should
not be construed to be an empty formality. [Para 33] [181-
G
C-E]
...
15.6. Judicial principles for imposition of death
penalty are far from being uniform. Without going into the
.t.:_
merits and demerits of such discretion and subjectivity, I

H one must nevertheless reiterate the basic principle, stated
-'-.

SANTOSH KUMAR SATISHBHUSHAN BARIYAR v. 111
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA

repeatedly by this Court, that life imprisonment is the rule A
and death penalty an exception. Each case must
.... therefore be analyzed and the appropriateness of
punishment determined on a case-by-case basis with
death sentence not to be awarded save in the 'rarest of
rare' case where reform is not possible. Keeping in mind B
at least this principle this Court does not think that any
J. of the factors in the present case warrants the award of
the death penalty. There are no special reasons to record
the death penalty and the mitigating factors in the present
case, are sufficient to place it out of the "rarest of rare" c
category. Thus, this Court is of the opinion that this is not
a case where death penalty should be imposed. The
_._ appellant, therefore, instead of being awarded death
penalty, is sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment
for life. [Paras 34 and 35] [181-E-H; 182-A-B]
D
Swamy Shraddananda @ Murali Manohar Mishra v.
State of Karantaka 2008 (10) SCALE 669, referred to.
Case Law Reference:
... (2000) 8 sec 457 relied on Para 9 E

1994 Supp (2) SCC 73 distinguished Para 9

... ~
(1980) 2 sec 684
(1979) a sec 646
relied on
relied on
Para 10
Para 10 F
(2005) 4 sec 165 relied on Para 11
AIR 1983 SC 473 relied on Para 11
408 U.S. 238 (1972) referred to Para 11

-
G
(2002) UKPC 11 :12 BHRC 219 referred to Para 11
f

(2002) UKPC 12 referred to Para 11
(2002) 2 AC 284 referred to Para 11
I
' H
112 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2009] 9 S.C.R.

A (2006) 1 WLR 1623 referred to Para 11 ~. \

(2007) UKPC 7 referred to Para 11 ~

2008 (10) SCALE 669 referred to Para 12
I-
AIR 1956 SC 526 referred to Para 13
B
(1991) 4 sec 341 referred to , Para 13
.....
AIR 1989 SC 1456 referred. to Para 13
(1981) 3 sec 11 referred to Para 13
c
(1991) 1 sec 752 referred to Para 13
/

(1994) 4 sec 381 referred to Para 13
.l-.
(1996) 2 sec 115 referred to Para 15
D AIR 2009 SC 56 referred to Para 15 ...

(2008) 11 sec 113 referred to Para 15
(1996) 6 sec 211 referred to Para 15

E (2003) 9 sec 310 referred to Para 15
).

2009 (3) SCALE 394 referred to Para 15
(1998) 1 sec 111

F
(1975) 1 sec 647
relied on

relied on
Para 16

Para 17
~

...
~

(2002) 9 sec 168 relied on Para 18
(1999) 3 sec 19 relied on Para 18
(2002) 4 sec 679 relied on Para 18
G
319 U.S. 624 (1943) referred to Para 19

(1973) 1 sec 20 referred to Para 20
'(
....
2007 (3) SCALE 106 referred to Para 21
I
H 2008 (4) SCALE 442 referred to Para 21
SANTOSH KUMAR SATISHBHUSHAN BARIYAR v. 113
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA

2008 . (10) SCALE 336 - referred to Para 21 A

2009 (3) SCALE 394 referred to Para 21
2007 (14) SCALE 428 referred to Para 22
2006 (11) SCALE 309 referred to Para 22
B
2007 (2) SCALE 42 referred to Para 22
2009 (1) SCALE 713 referred to Para 22
2006 (13) SCALE 467 referred to Para 23
c
(2007) 12 sec 288 referred to Para 23
(1983) 3 sec 470 referred to Para 23
(2001) 5 SC 714 referred to Para 24
)j
(1953), 105 C.C.C.172 (Ont.C.A.) referred to Para 25 D

(1981) 2 sec 35 referred to Para 28
1994 (3) SA 868 (A) referred to Para 28
438 U.S. at 604 referred to Para 29 E
445 U.S. 263, 272 (1980) referred to Para 29

~
[1986] 1 S.C.R. 103 referred to Para 30
[1990] 3 S.C.R. 1303 referred to Para 30
F
(1994) 4 sec 220 referred to Para 31
(1998) 5 sec 336 referred to Para 31
(1996) 4 sec 148 referred to Para 31
G
128 S. Ct. 2641 referred to Para 31
I
CRIMINAL AP PELLATE JURISDICTION : Criminal Appeal
No. 1478 of 2005.

From the Judgment Order dated 12.08.2005 passed by H
j
")!

114 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2009] 9 S.C.R.

A the High Court of judicature at Bombay in Criminal Appeal No.
754 of 2004.

Sushil Kumar Prabhash Kr. Yadav, V.K. Manga, C.P.
Yadav, Aditya Kumar, Menakshi Kumar, Vinay Arora and
B Sudarshan Singh Rawat for the Appellant.

Ravindra K. Adure, Anjani Kumar Mishra, Gautam Godara
(for V.N. Radhuparthy) and Rana Rami Singh for the
Respondents.

c The Judgment of the Court was delivered by

5.8. SINHA, J.'

INTRODUCTION

D 1. These two appeals arise out of a c;ommon judgment of
conviction and sentence dated 12th August, 2005 passed by
the High Court of Judicature at Bombay in Confirmation Case
No.2 of 2Q04 and three connected appeals; one filed by the
State and two by the accused, whereby and whereunder it
E confirmed and accepted the reference made to it in terms of
Section 366 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 in the
case of Santoshkumar Satishbhushan Bariyar (appellant in
Criminal Case No.1478 of 2005), and upheld the conviction and
sentence of life imprisonment in the case of the other accused
(respondents in Criminal Appeal No.452 of 2006).
F
Whereas Criminal Appeal No.1478 of 2005 has been
preferred by Santoshkumar Satishbhushan Bariyar (A 1)
(hereinafter referred to as "the appellant"), the State has filed
Criminal Appeal No.452 of 2006 praying for enhancement of
G sentence for Sanjeev Kumar Mahendraprasad Roy (A2) and
Sanotshkumar Shrijailal Roy (A3).

Leave in these matters was granted by this Court by
orders dated 28th October, 2005 and 17th April, 2006
H respectively.
-f -- ~ -- SANTOSH KUMAR SATISHBHUSHAN BARIYAR v. 115
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA [S.B. SINHA, J.]
--<
BACKGROUND FACTS A

2. The facts in brief are that the accused were said to have
hatched a conspiracy to abduct either one Abhijeet Kothari or
one Kartikraj (the deceased) and to demand a ransom of Rs.
10 lacs from the victim's family. Kartikraj was the one who was
B
eventually kidnapped. He was working as a junior clerk in
Central Railways at Pune. Ramraj, his father (PW-49) was, at
Jo. the relevant time, working as Manager in NABARD, Hyderabad.
/ Santosh Ramraj (PW-50), the younger brother of the deceased
was staying with his father.
c
Santosh Ramraj received a phone call on 8th August, 2001
at his residential telephone number disclosed by the caller, that
his brother Kartikraj was in his custody. Ransom for a sum of
Rs. 10 lacs was allegedly demanded. He was threatened that
~
if the said amount was not paid within 24 hours then Kartikraj D
would be killed. The family of the deceased is said to have
received some more threatening calls thereafter. Ramraj (PW-
49), the father of the deceased also talked to the caller and
asked him to give them time till the next day morning so that
he could make arrangements for the money. E
Ramraj (PW-49) thereafter talked to his friend Dattatraya
Bhandange (PW-2) who, at the relevant time, was working as
Manger in NABARD, Pune. Bhandange (PW-2) did his best to
trace out Kartikraj but failed in his attempts.
F
A draft of the First Information Report was faxed by Ram raj
to Bhandange's (PW-2)'s Pune office, requesting him to lodge
the same at the concerned Police Station. A photograph of
Kartikraj was also sent along.
G
Pursuant thereto, a First Information Report was lodged for
I offences punishable under Sections 363 and 387 of the Indian
Penal Code. The investigation was handed over to the Crime
Branch. Santoshraj (PW-2) informed the Investigating Officer,
API Lotlikar on telephone that he had again received a phone
H
116 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2009] 9 S.C.R.

A call from the kidnappers, asking him to come to Bombay with
Rs.10 lacs and a mobile phone. To this API Lotlikar asked him
to inform the caller that instead of going himself, he would be
sending a friend of his to Bombay with the money. He told him
to tell to the caller that the friend's name was Sham Naidu and
B that his mobile number was 9822******. Santoshraj acted
accordingly. Kidnappers thereafter started calling API Lotlikar
on his mobile phone thinking him to be Sham Naidu. Thus,
keeping the kidnappers engaged in one conversation or the
other, a trap was laid for them at Juhu on 12th August, 2001.
C Pursuant thereto Kumar Gaurav (PW-1), the approver and
Accused Nos.2 and 3, Sanjeevkumar Mahendraprasad Roy
and Sanothskumar Shrijailal Roy were arrested. Accused No.1,
Santosh Kumar Satishbhushan Bariyar, was arrested at
Andheri Railway Station. Whereabouts of Kartikraj was,
however, not disclosed. The accused were thereafter produced
0
before the Police Inspector, Dilip Bhaskar Shinde (PW-:53) on
13th August, 2001 in his office at Pune and were subsequently
\
arrested.

One of the accused Kumar Gaurav, who has since been
E granted pardon, addressed a letter to the Commissioner of
Police, Pune City on or about 29th October, 2001 stating that
Kartikraj had been murdered by the accused on 8th August,
2001. He expressed his repentance. He -also expressed his
desire to make a confession. He was produced before
F J.M.F.C., Pune at 2.00 p.m. on 31st October, 2001. He was
produced again on 1st November, 2001 when he made a
statement under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal
Procedure, which was recorded.

G Upon completion of investigation, a chargesheet was filed
whereupon cognizance of the offence was taken. The case was
ultimately committed to the Court of Sessions by the learned
Magistrate by an order dated 3rd January, 2002.
/

Before the learned Sessions Judge, Police Inspector Dilip
H Bhaskar Shinde (PW-53) made an application purported to be
-·· ...
SANTOSH KUMAR SATISHBHUSHAN BARIYAR v. 117
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA [S.B. SINHA, J.]
under Section 307 of the Code of Criminal Procedure on or A
about 21st March, 2002 praying for grant of pardon to Kumar
Gaurav (PW-1). The learned Sessions Judge passed an order
on 3rd April, 2002 granting pardon to him.
'I
PROSECUTION CASE B.
3. As per the statement of the Kumar Gaurav (PW-1) on
which the prosecution principally relies upon, he himself,
Santosh Kumar Roy (A3) and Sanjeeb Kumar Roy (A2) were
in search of better career prospects and all three of them
decided to try their luck in the city of Bombay. Since they had C
no place to stay, Sanjeeb Kumar Roy (A2) contacted the
appellant who was, at the relevant time, living in Pune. He was
able to arrange a temporary accommodation for all of them at
Kudale Patil Aangan Society in Pune.
D
As per Kumar Gaurav (PW-1), they hatched a plan to earn
around .10 to 15 lacs by kidnapping two Santosh Kumar
Bariyar's (A 1's) friends by demanding ransom from their
families. Appellant is said to be the master mind behind the
entire plan; it was he who had floated the idea of kidnapping. E
According to him, he had two friends of his in mind, namely
Abhijeet Kothari, whose father was a doctor, and Kartikraj, (the
deceased) whose father was the Manager in NABARD. Both
the families, as per the appellant, being rich, it was expected
that they would be able to get a hefty sum of money as ransom
F
upon kidnapping either of them. As per his plan if any difficulties
arose they would kill the victim. He told them that they would
cut the body into pieces and throw them at some place after
putting them in different bags. He asked all three, whether they
were ready for such a plan. All of them consented.
G
Once all of them agreed, Santosh Kumar Bariyar (A 1)
asked Kumar Gaurav (PW-1) to prepare a list of articles they
would require for putting this plan of theirs into action. On the
list were Hacksaw Blades and a sickle in case they had to cut
H
118 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2009] 9 S.C.R.

A the body. Also on it were ropes for tying up the victim; Polythene
bags for putting in pieces of the dead body; rexin bags for
putting in the polythene bags containing the pieces of the dead
body; Sim cards for using mobile phones to contact the family
of the victim and lastly Dettol to be used as a deodorant.
B
The day thereafter Santosh Kumar Bariyar (A 1) also
showed them the place they would be able to dispose of the
body in case any need arose therefor. On the same day, in the
evening, all the accused shifted to Amarpali Society which was
provided to them by an agent of the appellant. It was at the said
C place that they decided to put their plan into action. They spent
the rest of the day purchasing the items on the list they had
prepared the night before, requisite amount wherefor was
. provided by the appellant.

D Thereafter on 6th August, the appellant tried to contact both
Abhijeet Kothari and Kartikraj. He could not get in touch with
Abhijeet Kothari, buthe was able to procure the contact number
of the deceased. He assured all three of them that by the next
day he would be able to bring Kartikraj to the flat. When asked
E by others, how he could be so sure, he explained that he had
promised him a party in connection with his marriage and,
according to him, Kartikraj would never refuse, if he is invited
to a party.

4. Next day, i.e,, on the 7th August, Santosh Kumar Bariyar
F (A1) contacted Kartikraj (the deceased) and convinced him to
come to his place. In the night he brought Kartikraj to his
Apartment. Kartikraj, believing that he had been invited to
celebrate his friends' marriage watched movies with them till
almost midnight. Around midnight the appellant gave a
G purported signal to Sanjeeb Kumar Roy (A2) to execute the
plan. Appellant then went behind the deceased and placed a
sickle on his neck. There after both the hands of the deceased
were tied with a rope and his mouth with a napkin. The
deceased was then dragged to the toilet where he was
H
SANTOSH KUMAR SATISHBHUSHAN BARIYAR v. 119
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA [S.B. SINHA, J.]
assaulted with kicks and blows. All this went on for two hours. A
Then the accused called up the family of the deceased and
asked them to pay a ransom of Rs. 10 lacs if they wanted to
see Kartikraj alive again.

However the life of the deceased could have been saved B
had the landlord of the apartment who had come to check up
;.., on his flat the next morning suspected anything foul in the house,
but unfortunately he did not. Apprehending that they might be
caught, Santosh Kumar Bariyar (A 1) and Kumar Gaurav (PW1)
decided that it would no longer be safe to keep the deceased
alive and that it was in their best interest to kill him. To end his 'c
life the appellant and Sanjeeb Kumar Roy (A2) tied a rope
around his neck and pulled at it from both ends. The deceased
tried to struggle but his movement stopped after sometime. His
.,,, dead body was then dragged to the toilet. Santosh Kumar
Bariyar (A 1) then separated the head of the deceased with the D
hacksaw blade and a sickle. He then kept the head in a
po!ythene bag. Thereafter he separated both the hands of the
deceased. The hands too were kept in polythene bags. He then
asked Sanjeeb Kumar Roy (A2) to cut the legs of the deceased,
which he did. Kumar Gaurav (PW-1) and Sanjeeb Kumar Roy E
(A2) packed the legs into separate bags.

Approximately two hours were spent in cutting the body of
the deceased. They then disposed of these bags containing
the body parts of the deceased at different places. They also F
disposed of the belongings of the deceased in a similar
fashion. They thereafter also cleared off all the items from the
flat.

The next day they again called up the family of the
deceased demanding ransom from them even though they had G.
already killed their victim. They were assured by the family that
they would get the ransom money but needed some more time
to arrange it. It was this greed of theirs which ultimately lead to
thejr arrest.
H
120 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2009) 9 S.C.R.

A JUDGMENT OF THE TRIAL JUDGE

5. The prosecution examined 54 witnesses while two
witnesses were examined by the defence. Relying primarily on
the said evidence, the judgment of conviction and sentence was
recorded by the learned Sessions Judge. The learned Sessions •
B
Judge convicted accused No.1 of the offences punishable under
Section 302 read with Section 120-B as also under Sections ~

364-A read with 120-B of the Indian Penal Code. He was
sentenced to death. Accused Nos. 2 and 3 were convicted of

c the offences punishable under Section 302 read with Section
120-B as also under Sections 364-A read with 120-B of the
Indian Penal Code. They were sentenced to suffer rigorous
imprisonment for life. Besides, all the accused were found guilty
of the offences under Sections 387 read with 120-8 ; 201 read
with 120-8 of the Indian Penal Code and Sections 4 and 25 of )<.

D the Indian Arms Act and were sentenced for various terms
accordingly.

CONTENTIONS RAISED

6. Mr. Sushi! Kumar, learned senior counsel appearing on
E
behalf of the appellant in Criminal Appeal No.1478 of 2005,
would submit:-
. ·~
(i) The courts below committed a serious illegality in
recording the judgment and conviction primarily on
F the basis of the evidence of PW-1, Kumar Gaurav,
despite the fact that he had retracted his
confession, as would appear from his letter dated
6th November, 2001 (Article 8).

G (ii) The evidence of learned Magistrate (PW-54) could
not have been relied upon by the learned Sessions l
Judge inasmuch there were enough materials to
show that when the charge sheet was filed on 9th
November, 2001 none of the accused was
·-
produced, during the period 9.11.2001 and
H
SANTOSH KUMAR SATISHBHUSHAN BARIYAR v. 121
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA (S.B. SINHA, J.]
1.1.2002. Since PW-1 was not produced in Court A
there was no occasion for him to inform the
Magistrate that he was not the author of Article 8.

(iii) The learned Sessions Judge could not have
exercised its jurisdiction under Section 307 of the 8
Code of Criminal Procedure having regard to the
fact that the requirements as contained in sub-
section (4) of Section 306 of the Code of Criminal
Procedure had not been complied with.

(iv) As grant of pardon to Kumar Gaurav (PW-1) was C
illegal, his evidence could not have been taken into
consideration as a witness examined on behalf of
the prosecution and the same should have been
considered to be a statement made by the accused
against his other co-accused only as envisaged D'·
under Section 30 of the Indian Evidence Act.

(v) As the prosecution case hinges on the statement
of Kumar Gaurav (PW-1) and the circumstantial
evidence, whereupon the courts below have relied
E
upon being not consistent with guilt of the accused;
. the aRpellant is entitled to acquittal.

(vi) In any view of the matter the quality of the evidence
adduced by the prosecution is such for which the
death penalty could not be imposed, particularly in F
view of the fact that the trial court had erroneously
held that there was no mitigating circumstances
therefor.

The learned counsel for the State, however, supported the G
impugned judgment as regards the death penalty on the
appellant. In support of Criminal Appeal No. 452 of 2006 relating
to Sanjeevkumar Mahendraprasad Roy (A2) and
Sanothskumar Shrijailal Roy (A3) it was argued that the
sentence awarded to them was shockingly inadequate and that H
122 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2009] 9 S.C.R.
~

A the same be enhanced to penalty of death, since the crime they
had committed falls within the purview of 'rarest of the rare ~-

cases'.

It was urged that Sanjeeb Kumar Roy (A2) and Santosh
Kumar Roy (A3), being equal party to the crime, having had
B
played similar role in the commission thereof, they also
deserved award of death penalty. It was furthermore argued that ,..,
there was not a single mitigating circumstance in favour of the
accused to award to them the lesser penalty of life
imprisonment.
c
QUESTIONS INVOLVED

7. Two principal questions, therefore, which arise for our
consideration are :-
¢
D
(A) Whether the learnerl. Sessions Judge acted illegally
in granting pardon to Kumar Gaurav (PW-1 ); and

(B) Whether the case in hand can be said to be a
'rarest of rare cases' so as to enable the courts
E below to award the death penalty.

LEGALITY OF THE ORDER GRANTING PARDON
,_
8. We shall first deal with the order of the learned .....;
Sessions Judge granting pardon to Kumar Gaurav (PW 1).
F
Sections 306 and 307 of the Code of Criminal Procedure,
1973, which are relevant for our purpose, read as under:

"306. Tender of pardon to accomplice:- (1) With a view
to obtaining the evidence of any person supposed to have
G
been directly or indirectly concerned in or privy to an
~. .,
offence to which this Section applies, the Chief Judicial
Magistrate or a Metropolitan Magistrate at any stage of the
investigation or inquiry into, or the trial of, the offence, and
the Magistrate of the first class inquiring into, or trying th~
-H
--
SANTOSH KUMAR SATISHBHUSHAN BARIYAR v. 123
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA [S.B. SINHA, J.]
offence, at any stage of the inquiry or trial, may tender A
pardon to such person on condition of his making a full and
true disclosure of the whole of the circumstances within his
knowledge relative to the offence and to every other person
concerned, whether as principal or abettor, in the
commission thereof. B
.... (2) This Section applies to-

(a) any offence triable exclusively by the Court of
Session or by the Court of a Special Judge
appointed under the Criminal Law Amendment Act, c
1952 (46 of 1952);

(b) any offence punishable with imprisonment which
may extend to seven years or with a more severe
sentence. D
(3) Every Magistrate who tenders a pardon under sub-
section ( 1) shall record-

(a) his reasons for so doing
E
(b) whether the tender was or was not accepted by
the person to whom it was made; and shall, on
.... application made by the accused, furnish him with
a copy of such record free of cost.

(4) Every person accepting a tender of pardon made under F
sub-section (1 )-
0

(a) shall be examined as a witness in the Court of
the Magistrate taking cognizance of the offence and
in the subsequent trial, if any; G
).
=--
(b) shall, unless he is already on bail, be detained
in custody until the termination of the trial.

(5) Where a person has accepted a tender of pardon made
under sub-section (1) and has been examined under stJb- H·
124 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2009] 9 S.C.R.

A section (4), the Magistrate taking cognizance of the
offence shall, without making any further inquiry in the
case-

(a) commit it for trial-
B (i) to the Court of Session if the offence is triable
exclusively by that Court or if the Magistrate taking
cognizance is the Chief Judicial Magistrate ;

(ii) to a Court of Special Judge appointed under the
c Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1952, (46of1952),
if the offence is triable exclusively by that Court ;

(b) in any other case, make over the case to the Chief
Judicial Magistrate who shall try the case himself.

D 307. Power to direct tender of pardon :- At any time after
commitment of a case but before judgement is passed,
the Court to which the commitment is made may, with a
view to obtaining at the trial the evidence of any person
. supposed to have been directly or indirectly concerned in,
E 9r privy to, any such offence, tender a pardon on the same
condition to such person."

Section 306, thus, empowers the Chief Judicial Magistrate
or a Metropolitan Magistrate or a Magistrate of the First class
F inquiring into or trying the offence to tender a pardon to such
person on condition of his making a full and true disclosure of
the whole of the c_ircumstances within his knowledge relating
to the offence and to every other person concerned, whether
as principal or abettor, in the commission thereof. The said
provision indisputably applies to the cases triable exclusively
G by a Court of Sessions.

The Magistrate tendering pardon is required to record his
reasons for so doing and to further record whether the tender
was or was not accepted by the person to whom it was made.
H Sub-section (4) of Section 306 of the Code of Criminal _
SANTOSH KUMAR SATISHBHUSHAN BARIYAR v. 125
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA [S.B. SINHA, J.]
Procedure mandates that such a person accepting tender of A

- __ pardon must be examined as a witness in the trial. Sub-section
(5) of Section 306 of the Code of Criminal Procedure provides
that where a person has accepted tender of pardon made
under sub-section (1) and has been examined under sub-
section (4), the Magistrate taking cognizance. of the offence B
shall commit it for trial, without making any further inquiry in the
case.

-
,
Whether the terms "on the same condition" occurring in
Section 307 of the Code of Criminal Procedure refer to sub-
section (4) of Section 306 thereof and as in the instant case
apart from the purported statement made by Kumar Gaurav
(PW-1) under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure,
c

which had been retracted, as no other statement had been
taken from him by the learned Magistrate, the order granting
.., D
pardon in his favour was illegal, is the question .

In our opinion, the submission of Mr. Sushil Kumar does
not merit acceptance.

9. Sub-section (4) of Section 306 is procedural in nature.
E
"' It is necessary to be followed only by a Magistrate as he would
not have any jurisdiction to try the case himself. The learned
Sessions Judge before whom the case is committed for trial
-4
\ must be informed as to on what basis pardon had been
tendered.
F
Section 307 does not contain any such condition. The
power of the learned Sessions Judge is independent of the
provisions contained in Section 306 thereof. The condition
mentioned in Section 307 refers to the condition laid down in
sub-section (1) of Section 306, namely that the person in whose G:
favour the pardon has been tendered, will make a full and true
,. ~··

disclosure of the whole of the circumstances within his
knowledge. The power of a Sessions Court is not hedged with
any other condition.
H
·-
126 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2009] 9 S.C.R.
'
A The order of learned Sessions Judge dated 3rd April, -1
2002 shows that the learned Judge not only applied his mind
on the application (Ext. P-7) for grant of pardon filed by the . ~

Investigating Officer but also examined the appellant by putting
relevant questions to him.
B
The learned Sessions Judge, cherefore, did not pass the
order dated 3rd April, 2002 only on the basis of the purported
,;.
confessional statement made by Kumar Gaurav (PW-1) on 1st
· November, 2001. It was not done mechanically. If in law it was
not necessary for the learned Magistrate to forward a copy of
c the confessional statement made by Kumar Gaurav (PW-1)
under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure or to
record a separate statement of the said witness for the purpose
..
of complying with the provisions of Section 306 of the Code of .--;,,

Criminal Procedure, the question as to whether he had retracted
D from his confession or not would not be of much relevance as
regards exercise of power by the learned Sessions Judge
under Section 307 of the Code.

We may, however, notice. that th~ learned Magistrate in his
E evidence categorically opined that Kumar Gaurav (PW-1) had
told him that he had not signed the said application retracting
his confession. It may be that the said fact was not borne out
from the judicial records, which were sent to the learned
Sessions Judge with the order of committal, but then we have /.-

F no reason to disbelieve the statement of the learned
Magistrate.

Strong reliance has been placed by the learned senior
counsel upon a judgment of this Court in Rampa/ Pithwa
Rahidas and Others v. State of Maharashtra [1994 Supp (2)
G sec 73] and in particular the following passage:

" ... We find ourselves unable to place any reliance on his
untrustworthy and unreliable evidence and in that view of
the matter, we refrain even from expressing any opinion
H about the effect of the alleged non-compliance with the
. '

SANTOSH KUMAR SATISHBHUSHAN BARIYAR v. 127
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA [S.B. SINHA, J.]
provisions of Section 306(4) IPC read with Section 307 A
IPC, as admittedly after the grant of pardon by the order
~ .. dated 24.4.1987, no statement of Ramcharan approver
was recorded till he appeared at the trial as PW 49. It is
only after the grant of pardon that the status of an accused
is changed into that of a witness and the law enjoins upon B
the Courts to record the statement of the approver
immediately after pardon is granted to him so that he may
consider himself bound by that statement and failure to do
.~
so at the trial would render him liable for prosecution. That
exercise was not performed in this case." c
It was contended that it was obligatory on the part of the
learned Sessions Judge to comply with the requirements of
~-
Sub-section (4) of Section 306 of the Code of Criminal
Procedure. We, with respect, could not find that any such
~ proposition of law was laid down in the said judgment as such. D

A bare perusal of the said decision clearly goes to show
that the evidence of approver was found to be wholly
untrustworthy and unreliable. In that situation, the court refrained
itself from expressing any opinion about the effect of the alleged E
... non-compliance with the provisions of Section 306(4) of the
Code of Criminal Procedure read with Section 307 thereof.

In the case before us the pardon granted by the learned
Sessions Judge was legal. Whereas the pardon was granted
F
on 3.04.2002, PW-1 was examined on 29.07.2002. Thus, his
e'vidence was recorded only after grant of pardon.

In Narayan Chetanram Chaudhary and Another v. State
of Maharashtra [(2000) 8 SCC 457], a Division Bench of this
Court, in an almost similar situation, viz., where the confessional G
statement was kept in a sealed cover and wherein also the
)
""" learned Sessions Judge granted pardon, declifled to hold that
only because some delay had occurred in granting pardon, no
reliance could be placed thereupon. It was furthermore opined
that what was mandatory was the examination of the H
,._
I

128 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2009] 9 S.C.R.
"·
A accomplice. Non-examination of the approver at the committal
stage by the committing Magistrate, if rectified later, would not
.,.,.
lead to any prejudice to the accused, stating:

"27. There is no legal obligation on the Trial Court or a right
in favour of the accused to insist for the compliance with
B
the requirement of Section 306(4) of the Cr.PC. Section
307 provides a complete procedure for recording the
,;..
statement of an accomplice subject only to compliance of
conditions specified in Sub-section (1) of Section 306. The
law mandates the satisfaction of the Court granting ··.\

c pardon, that the accused would make a full and true
disclosure of the circumstances within his knowledge
relative to the offence and to every other person . \,...
concerned, whether as principal or abettor, Jn the
commission thereof. It is not necessary to comply ~th the
D ,..
requirement of Section 306(4) when the pardon is tendered
by the Trial Court. The Trial Court, in this case has taken
all precautions in complying with the provisions of the
Section 306(1) before tendering pardon to accused Raju, i-

who later appeared as PW. 2. we· do not find any violation
E of law or illegality in the procedure for tendering the pardon
'"°'
and recording the statement of PW.2."

If it is to be held that ir:i each and every case pardon can
only be granted at the initial stage, the power conferred upon
,,
F the Sessions Judge to grant under Section 307 of the Code of
"'
Criminal Procedure for all intent and purport shall become
otiose.

The order of the learned judge granting pardon to the
Approver, Kumar Gaurav is, therefore, legal and valid.
G
LAW ON DEATH PENALTY
.....
10. A Constitution Bench of this Court in Bachan Singh
v. State of Punjab [(1980) 2 SCC 684] repelled the challenge
of constitutionality to death penalty by laying down the
H
SANTOSH KUMAR SATISHBHUSHAN BARIYAR v. 129
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA [S.S. SINHA, J.]

framework law on this point. Bachan Singh (supra) serves as A
a watershed moment in the history of death penalty
jurisprudence in India as it severed Indian judiciary's normative
ambivalence on the subject.

It was pronounced' after the new legislative policy (in form B
of section 354(3) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973)
came into force. The impact of this legislative change was
,...
variously interpreted by this court, and this disparity in
interpretation triggered Bachan Singh (supra). One such case,
which had laid down an interpretation of section 354(3) was
Rajendra Prasad v. State of Uttar Pradesh [(1979) 3 SCC 646].
c
<

"' Bachan Singh court noted that death penalty is
acknowledged in the constitution. Also the new sentencing
procedures were held to be to be in the nature of safeguards
-c ., and as a guidance sentencing. The sentencing procedure was D
. taken to be orienting the death punishment towards application
in very selective situations. On the aforementioned reasoning,
the court upheld death punishment, substantively and
procedurally.
E
There are three broad values emerging from Bachan
Singh (supra):

_, 1. INDIVIDUALIZED SENTENCING

11. For an effective compliance of sentencing procedure F
under section 354(3) and section 235(2) Cr.P.C, sufficient
discretion is a pre-condition. Strict channeling of discretion
would also go against the founding principles of sentencing as
it will prevent the sentencing court to identify and weigh various
factors relating to the crime and the criminal such as culpability, G
impact on the society, gravity of offence, motive behind the
crime etc. Bachan Singh (supra) also holds the same view. It
was held in Bachan Singh (supra) that:

"173. Thirdly, a standardisation of the sentencing process
which leaves little room for judicial discretion to take H
130 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2009) 9 S.C.R.

A account of variations in culpability within single-offence
category ceases to be judicial: It tends to sacrifice justice
at the altar of blind uniformity. Indeed, there is a real
danger of such mechanical standardisation degenerating
into a bed of procrustean cruelty.
1-
1

B
174. Fourthly, standardisation or sentencing discretion is
a policy matter which belongs to the sphere of
legislation. When Parliament as a matter of sound
legislative policy, did not deliberately restrict, control
or standardise the sentencing discretion any further
c than that is encompassed by the broad contours
delineated in Section 354(3), the court would not by
overleaping its bounds rush to do what Parliament,
in its wisdom, warily did not do."

D The court while discussing Furman v. Georgia, 408 U.S.
_238 (1972fin this regard held the following:

"192. It appears to us that in Gregg v. Georgia and the
companion cases, the Supreme Court of U.S.A. was
obliged to read down the requirements of Furman and to
E
accept these broadly worded, loose~ended ahd not-all- •
I
inclusive 'standards' because in the area of sentencing-
d iscretion, if it was to retain its judicial character,
exhaustive standardisation or perfect regulation was
l-
neither feasible nor desirable." \-
F
In this context, Saibanna v. State of Kamataka [(2005) 4
sec 165) makes an interesting reading. The accused therein
was a life convict. While on parole, he committed murder of his
wife and daughter. This Court sentenced him to death on a
G reasoning, which effectively made death punishment mandatory
for the category of offenders serving life sentence, opining:

" .... A prisoner sentenced to life imprisonment is bound to
serve the remainder of his life in prison unless the sentence ·I

is commuted or remitted and that such sentence could not
SANTOSH KUMAR SATISHBHUSHAN BARIYAR v. 131
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA [S.B. SINHA, J.]
be equated with any fixed term. (See Gopal Vinayak A
Godse vs. State of Maharashtra [(1961) 3 SCR 440]. If
that be so, there could be no imposition of a second life
term on the appellant before us as it would be a
meaningless exercise.
B
18. In the teeth of Section 427(2) of the Code of Criminal
Procedure, 1973 it is doubtful whether a person already
undergoing sentence of imprisonment for life can be
visited with another term of imprisonment for life to run
consecutively with the previous one.
c
Mandatory death punishment (prescribed under section
303 of Indian Penal Code) was stuck down as unconstitutional
by this court in Mithu v. State of Punjab [AIR 1983 SC 473].
This court observed:
D
" ... If the law provides a mandatory sentence of death as
Section 303 of the Penal Code does, neither Section
235(2) nor Section 354(3) of the Code of Criminal
Procedure can possibly come into play. If the court has no
option save to impose the sentence of death, it is
E :
meaningless to hear the accused on the question of
sentence and it becomes superfluous to ·state the reasons
for imposing the sentence of death. The blatant reason for
imposing the sentence of death in such a case is that the
law compels the court to impose that sentence. The ratio
of Bachan Singh, therefore, is that, death sentence is F
Constitutional if it is prescribed as an alternative sentence
for the offence of murder and if the normal sentence
prescribed by law for murder is imprisonment for life."

Justice 0. Chinnappa Reddy, J. in his concurring opinion G
agreed with the majority opinion and observed:

"25. Judged in the tight shed by Maneka Gandhi and
Bachan Singh, it is impossible to uphold Section 303 as
valid. Section 303 excludes judicial discretion. The scales
H
~

132 SUPREME COURT REPORTS I [2009] 9 S.C.R.

A of justice are removed from the hands of the Judge so -t
soon as he pronounces the accused guilty of the offence.
So final, so irrevocable a.pd so irrestitutable [sic
irresuscitable] is the sentence 'of death that no law which
provides for it without involvement of the judicial mind can
B be said to be fair, just and reasonable. Such a law must
necessarily be stigmatised as arbitrary and oppressive.
Section 303 is such a law and it must go the way of an·--
bad layvs. I agree with my Lord Chief Justice that Section
303, Indian Penal Code, must be struck. down as
c unconstitutional."

{See also Reyes v. R. [(2002) UKPC 11 : 12 BHRC 219],
Hughes, R. v. (Saint Lucia) [(2002) UKPC 12], Fox v. The
Queen (2002) 2 AC 284, Bowe v. The Queen (2006) 1 WLR
1623 and Coard & Ors. v. The Attorney General (Grenada),
D (2007) UKPC 7}

Saibanna (supra) to that extent is inconsistent with Mithu
(supra) and Bachan Singh (supra).

2. THRESHOLD OF RAREST OF RARE
E
2(A). Sentencing Procedure

12. The analytical tangle relating to sentencing procedure ~·
deserves some attention here. Sentencing procedure deserves
F an articulate and judicial administration. In this regard, all courts
are equally responsible. Sentencing process should be so
complied with, that enough information is generated to
objectively inform the selection of penalty. The selection of
penalty must ..not require a judge to reflect on his/her personal
G perception bf crime. In Swamy Shraddananda @ Murali
Manohar Mishra v. State of Karantaka [2008 (10) SCALE
669], the .coJ.Jrt notes that the awarding of sentence of death
"depends a good deal on the personal predilection of the
iudges constituting the bench." This is a serious admission on
the part of this court. In so far as this aspect is considered, there
H
SANTOSH KUMAR SATISHBHUSHAN BARIYAR v. 133
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA [S.B. SINHA, J.]

is inconsistency in how Bachan Singh (supra) has been A
implemented, as Bachan Singh (supra) mandated principled
sentencing and not judge centric sentencing.

There are two sides of the debate. It is accepted that rarest
of rare case is to be determined in the facts and circumstance B
of a given case and there is no hard and fast rule for that
. purpose. There are no strict guidelines. But a sentencing
procedure is suggested. This procedure is in the nature of
safeguards and has an overarching embrace of rarest of rare
dictum. Therefore, it is to be read with Article 21 and 14.
c
Pre~sentence Hearing and "Special Reasons"

13. Under section 235(2) and 354 (3) of the Criminal
Procedure Code, there is a mandate as to a full fledged
bifurcated hearing and recording of "special reasons" if the D
court inclines to award death penalty. In the specific backdrop
of sent~ncing in capital punishment, and that the matter attracts
constitutional prescription in full force, it is incumbent on the
sentencing court to oversee comprehensive compliance to both
the provisions. A scrupulous compliance of both provisions is E
necessary such that an informed selection of sentence could
be based on the information collected and collated at this stage.
Please see Santa Singh v. State of Punjab, [AIR 1956 SC
526], Malkiat Singh and Ors. v. State of Punjab, [(1991) 4
SCC 341], Allaudin Mian v. State of Bihar, [AIR 1989 SC
F
1456], Muniappan v. State of Tamil Nadu, [( 1981 ) 3 SCC
11], Jumman Khan v. State of UP., [(1991)1 SCC 752],
Anshad and Ors. v. State of Kamataka, [(1994) 4 SCC 381]
on this.

Nature of lnformati.on to be Collated at P're .. sentence G
Hearing

14. At this stage, B.achan Sil:igh (supra) informs the·
content of the s_enten.citig heaHng. The court must pl~y a
proactive role to record all' relevant information at !11s ,stag.e., · . .H
134 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2009] 9 S.C.R.

A Some of the information relating to crime can be culled out from
the phase prior to sentencing hearing. This information would
include aspects relating to the nature, motive and impact of
crime, culpability of convict etc. Quality of evidence adduced
is also a relevant factor. For instance, extent of reliance on
B circumstantial evidence or child witness plays an'·important role
in the sentencing analysis.

But what is sorely lacking, in most capital sentencing
cases, is information relating to characteristics and socio-
C economic background of the offender. This issue was also
raised in the 48th report of the Law Commission.
Circumstances which may not have been pertinent in conviction
can also play an important role in the selection of sentence.
Objective analysis of the probability that the accused can be
reformed and rehabilitated can be one such illustration. In this
D context, guideline no. 4 in the list of Mitigating Circumstances
as borne out by Bachan Singh (supra) is relevant. The court
held: ·

(4) The probability that the accused can be reformed and
E rehabilitated. The State shall by evidence prove that the
accused does not satisfy the conditions 3 and 4 above.

In fine, Bachan Singh (supra) mandated identification of ~-
aggravating and mitigating circumstance relating to crime and
F the convict to be collected in the sentencing hearing.

2(8) Nature of Content of Rarest of rare Dictum

15. Rarest of rare dictum breathes life in "special reasons"
under section 354(3). In this context, Bachan Singh (supra) laid
G down a fundamental threshold in the following terms:

"A real and abiding concern for the dignity of human life
postulates resistance to taking a life through law's
instrumentality. That ought not to be done save in the .-
rarest of rare cases when the alternative option is
H unquestionably foreclosed;"
•
I

I
SANTOSH KUMAR SATISHBHUSHAN BARIYAR v. 135
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA [S.S. SINHA, J.]

An analytical readJng of this formulation would reveal it to A
be an authoritative negative precept. "Rarest of rare cases" is
- an exceptionally narrow opening provided in the domain of this
negative precept. This opening is also qualified by another
condition in form of "when the alternative option is
unquestionably foreclosed". Thus, in essence, rarest of rare 8
dictum imposes a wide-ranging embargo on award of death
punishment, which can only be revoked if the facts of the case
successfully satisfy double qualification enumerated below:

1. that the case belongs to the rarest of rare category C

2. and the alternative option of life imprisonment will
just not suffice in the facts of the case

Rarest of rare dictum serves as a guideline in enforcing
section 354(3) and entrenches the policy that life imprisonment 0
is the rule and death punishment is an exception. It is a settled
law of interpretation that exceptions are to be construed
narrowly. That being the case, the rarest of rare dictum places
an extraordinary burden on the court, in case it selects death
punishment as the favoured penalty, to carry out an objective
E
assessment of'facts to satisfy the exceptions ingrained in the
..
rarest of rare dictum. The background analysis leading to the
conclusion that the case belongs to rarest of rare category must
conform to highest st~ndards of judicial rigor and thoroughness
as the norm under analysis is an exceptionally narrow
exception.
F

A conclusion as to the rarest of rare aspect with respect
to a matter shall entail identification of aggravating and
mitigating circumstances relating both to the crime and the
criminal. Jt was in this context noted: G

"The expression "special reasons" in the context of this
provision, obviously means "exceptional reasons" founded
·on the exceptionally grave circumstances of the particular
case relating to the crime as well as the criminal"
H
136 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2009) 9 S.C.R.

A Curiously in Ravji alias Ram Chandra v. State of
Rajasthan, [(1996) 2 sec 175] this court held that it is only
characteristics relating to crime, to the exclusion of the ones
relating to criminal, which are relevant to sentencing in criminal
trial, stating:
B
" ... The crimes had been committed with utmost cruelty and
brutality without any provocation, in a calculated manner.
It is the nature and-gravity of the crime but not the criminal,
which are germane for consideration of appropriate
punishment in a criminal trial. The Court will be failing in
c its duty if appropriate punishment is not awarded for a
crime which has been committed not only against the
individual victim but also against the society to which the
criminal and victim belong. The punishment to be awarded ·
for a crime must not be irrelevant but it should conform to
D and be consistent with the atrocity and brutality with which
the crime has been perpetrated, the enormity of the crime
warranting public abhorrence and it should "respond to the
society's cry for justice against the criminal" ... "

E We are not oblivious that this case has been followed in
at least 6 decisi~ns of this court in which death punishment has
·b~en awarded in last 9 years, but, in our opinion, it was
renc.:ter~d per incuriam. Bachan Singh (supra) specifically noted
the fofltiwi~~ on this point:

F "... The ptes:S:nt
legislative policy discernible from Section
235(2) read WithSeGtion 354(3) is that in fixing the degree
of punishment or makli'l~1J::the ~hoice of sentence for various
offences, including one uhder, $ection 302 of the Penal
Code, the court should not cohfin.e. its consideration
G "principally" or merely to the circumstemees c.onnected
with the particular crime, but also give due 'cbnsi(le.ratibn
to the circumstances of the criminal" · · · · ..

.S'tJivaji @· Dadya Shankar A/hat v. The State of
.H Mah;<I~il:~htra, [AIR 2009 SC 56], Mohan Anna Chava!! ·v.
'~·
SANTOSH KUMAR SATISHBHUSHAN BARIYAR v. 137
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA [S.B. SINHA, J.]
.. A
State of Maharashtra [(2008) 11 SCC 113], Bantu v. The State
• of UP., [(2008) 11 SCC 113], Surja Ram v. State of
Rajasthan, [(1996) 6 SCC 271]; Oayanidhi Bisoi v. State of
Orissa, [(2003)9 SCC 31 O], State of UP. v. Sattan @
Satyendra and Ors., [2009 (3) SCALE 394] are the decisions
where Ravji Rao (supra) has been followed. It does not appear B
that this court has considered any mitigating circumstance or
a circumstance relating to criminal at the sentencing phase in
most of these cases. It is apparent that Ravji Rao (supra) has
not only been considered but also relied upon as authority on
the point that in heinous crimes, circumstances relating to c
criminal are not pertinent.
... 2(8) Alternative Option i§ foreclosed

16. Another aspect of rarest of rare doctrine which needs
°' serious consideration is interpretation of latter part of the ' D
dictum - "that ought not to be done save in the rarest of rare
cases wh.en the alternative option is unquestionably
foreclosed." Bachan Singh (supra) suggested selection of
death punishment as the penalty of last resort when, alternative ·
punishment of life imprisonment will be futile and serves no E
purpose death punishment, as will be discussed in detail a little
later, qualitatively stands on a very different footing from other
....
types of punishments. It is unique in its total irrevocability.

Incarceration, life or otherwise, potentially serves more
F
than one sentencing aims. Deterrence, incapacitation,
rehabilitation and retribution - all ends are capable to be
furthered in different degrees, by calibrating this punishment in
light of the overarching penal policy. But the same .does not hold
true for the death penalty. It is unique in its absolute rejection
of the potential of convict to rehabilitate and reform. It G
• I
extinguishes life and thereby terminates the being, therefore
puts an end anything to do with the life. This is the big difference '

· between two punishments. Before imposing death penalty,
therefore; it is imperative to consider the same.
:H
138 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [20091 9 S.C.R.

A Rarest of rare dictum, as discussed above, hints at this "·
difference between death punishment and the alternative
punishment of life imprisonment. The relevant question here
would be to determine whether life imprisonment as a
punishment will be pointless ~rnd completely devoid of reason
B in the facts ar;id circumstances of the. case? As giscusseq
above, life imprisonment can be said to be compleff:?/Y futile,
only when the sentencing ?im of reform9tion can be sai{i to be
unachievable. Therefore, for satisfying the second exception to
the rarest of rarf) gpctrine, the court will have to provide clear
c evidence as to why the convict is not fit for any kind of
reformatory and rehabilitation scheme. This analysis can only
be done with rigor when the court focuses on the circumstances
relating to the criminal, along with other circumstances. This is
....
not an easy conclusion to be deciphered, but Bachan Singh
(supra) sets the bar very high by introduction of Rarest of rare
0
doctrine. -

In Panchhi v. State of UP., [(1998) 7 SCC 177], this Court
also elucidates on "when the alternative option is foreclosedry
benchmark in the following terms:
E
16. When the Constitution Bench of this Court, by a
majority, upheld the constitutional validity of death sentence
in Bachan Singh v. State of Punjab this Court tQQK
particular care to say that death sentence shall not normally
F be awarded for the offence of m1.J,rder C3nd that it must be
confined to the rarest of rare cases when the alternative
option is foreclosed. In other words, the Constitution Bench
did not find death sentence valid in all cases except in the
aforesaid freaks wherein the lesser sentence would be\ by
any account, wholly inadequate. In Machhi Singh v. State
G
of Punjab a three-Judge Bench of this Court while I. '°"'
following the ratio in Bachan Singh case laid down certain
guidelines among which the following is relevant in the
. pr:esent case: (SCC p. 489, para '38)

H
'( SANTOSH KUMAR SATISHBHUSHAN BARIYAR v. 141
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA [S.8. SINHA, J.]
).
factors which may not have been recorded. A
)-.
We must also point out, in this context, that there is no
consensus in the court on the use of "social necessity" as a sole
justification in death punishment matters. The test which
emanates from Bachan Singh (supra) in clear terms is that the B
courts must engage in an analysis of aggravating and mitigating
.... circumstances with an open mind, relating both to crime and

- the criminal, irrespective of the gravity or nature of crime under
consideration. A dispassionate analysis, on the aforementioned
counts, is a must. The courts while adjudging on life and death
must ensure that rigor and fairness are given primacy over
c
sentiments and emotions .
..... In Panchhi (supra), the court downplayed the heinous
nature of crime and relied on mitigating circumstances in the
final opinion. The court held: D

"20. We have extracted the above reasons of the two
courts only to point out that it is the savagery or brutal
manner in which the killers perpetrated the acts on the
victims including one little child which had persuaded the
E
two courts to choose death sentence for the four persons.
No doubt brutality looms large in the murders in this case
particularly of the old and also the tender-aged child. It may
-4
be that the manner in which the killings were perpetrated 'I

may not by itself show any lighter side but that is not very
F
peculiar or very special in these killings. Brutality of the
manner in which a murder was perpetrated may be a
ground but not the sole criterion for judging whether the
case is one of the "rarest of rare cases" as indicated in
Bachan Singh case. In a way, every murder is brutal, and
the difference between one from the other may be on G
~
I account of mitigating or aggravating features surrounding
the murder."

In Vashram Narshibhai Rajpara v. State of Gujarat

- [(2002) 9 sec 168], this court relied on the dictum of Panchhi H I
~
142 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2009] 9 S.C.R. l'
f-

A ahd further explained the approach; -~

" .... As to what category a particular case would fall ..,-,

depends, invariably on varying facts of each case and no
absolute rule for invariable application or yardstick as a
ready reckoner can be formulated. In Panchhi v. State of
B
U. P. it has been observed that the brutality of the manner
in which the murder was perpetrated may not be the sole I
.....
ground for judging whether the case is one of the ''rarest -~.

of rare cases': as indicated in Bachan Singh v. State of
Punjab and that every murder being per se brutal, the
c distinguishing factors should really be the mitigating or
aggravating features surrounding the murder. The intensity
of bitterness, which prevailed, and the escalation of
simmering thoughts into a thirst for revenge ot retaliation
were held to be also a relevant factor.;'
- '

D \-

This court also gave primacy to mitigating circumstances
in the final analysis:

"10. Considering the facts of the case presented before
us, it is on evidence that despite his economic condition
E
and earnest attempt to purchase a house for the family
after raising loans, the wife and daughters were stated to
be not pleased and were engaging in quarrels constantly
~
with the appellant. Though they were all living together the
continuous harassment and constant nagging could have
F very well affected his mental balance and such sustained
provocation could have reached a boiling point resulting
in the dastardly act. As noticed even by the High Court the
appellant though hailing from a poor family had no criminal
background and it could not be reasonably postulated that
G he will not get rehabilitated or that he would be a menace
to the society. The boy of tender age would also once for
all be deprived of the parental protection, Keeping in view
a11·these aspects, in our view, it could not be said that the
I
-
imposition of life imprisonment would not adequately meet
H the requirements of the case or that only an imposition of
-< SANTOSH KUMAR SATISHBHUSHAN BARIYAR v. 139
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA [S.B. SINHA, J.]
"(iv) A balance-sheet of aggravating and mitigating A
_._ circumstances has to be drawn up and in doing so the
mitigating circumstances have to be acc_orded full
weightage and a just balance has to be struck between
the aggravating and the mitigating circumstances before
the option is exercised." B

In Bachqn Singh (&1.mra), it was stated:

"206. Dr Chitale has suggested the$e mitigating factors:

"Mitigating circumstances.-ln the exercise of its c
discretion in the above cases, the court shall take into
qccourit the following circumstances:

(1) That the offence was committed under the influence
of extreme mental or emotional disturbance.
0
(2) The age of the accused. If the accused is young or
old, he shall not be sentenced to death.

(3) The probability that the accused would not commit

- criminal acts of violence as would constitute a
continuing threat to society.
E

... (4) The probability that the accused can be reformed
and rehabilitated. The State shall by evidence.prove
--· that the accused does not satisfy the conditions (3)
and (4) above. F

(5) That in the facts and circumstances of the case the
accused believed that he was morally justified in
committing the offence.
G
(6) That the accused acted under the duress or
..... f
. doininaUon of another person .. ·
......

(7) That the condition of the accused showed that he·. .
was mentally defective and that the said defect ·
impaired his capacity to appreciate the criminality H
140 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2009) 9 S.C.R. )·

/•
A of his conduct.

207. We will do no more than to say that these are
.,,_
undoubtedly relevant circumstances and must be
given great weight in the determination of
sentence."
B
2(C) Role and Responsibility of Courts
~..

17. Bachan Singh (supra) while enunciating rarest of rare
doctrine, did not deal with the role and responsibility of
c sentencing court and the appellate court separately. For that
matter, this court did not specify any review standards for High
Court and the Supreme Court. In that event, all courts, be it trial
court, High Court or this court, are duty bound to ensure that
the. ratio laid down therein is scrupulously followed. Same
.0 standard of rigor and fairness are to be followed by the courts .
If anything, inverse pyramid of responsibility is applicable in
death penalty cases.

In State of Maharashtra v. Sindhi, [(1975) 1SCC647) this
Court reiterated, with emphasis, that while dealing with a
E reference for confirmation of a sentence of death, the High Court ....
must consider the proceedings in all their aspects, reappraise,
reassess and reconsider the entire facts and law and, if
~
necessary, after taking additional evidence, come to its own
.....
conclusions on the material on record in regard to the
F conviction of the accused (and the sentence) independently of
the view expressed by the Sessions Judge.

2(0) Sentencing Justifications in Heinous Crimes

18. It has been observed, generally and more specifically
G in the context of death punishment, that sentencing is the
I .......
biggest casualty in crimes of brutal and heinous nature. Our
capital sentencing jurisprudence is thin in the sense that there
is very little objective discussion on aggravating and mitigating
circumstances. In most such cases, courts have only been ·
H considering the brutality of crime index. There may be other
SANTOSH KUMAR SATISHBHUSHAN BARIYAR v. 143
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA [S.B. SINHA, J.]
the extreme punishment alone would do real or effective A
justice. Consequently, we direct the modification of the
1,. sentehce of death into one of rigorous imprisonment for
life, by partly allowing the appeal to that extent. In other
rsspeds the appeal shall stand dismissed. The appellant
shall undergo the remaining period of sentence as above." B

In Om Prakash v. State of Haryana, [(1999) 3 SCC 19],
K.T. Thomas, J. deliberated on the apparent tension between
responding to "cry of the society" and meeting the Bachan
Singh (supra) dictum of balancing the "mitigating and C
aggravating circumstances". The court was of the view that the

...
sentencing court is bound by Bachan Singh (supra) and not in
specific terms to the incoherent and fluid responses of society:

7. It is true that court must respond to the cry of the society
and to settle what would be a deterrent punishment for an D
abominable crime. It is equally true that a large number of
criminals go unpunished thereby increasing criminals in
the society and law losing its deterrent effect. It is also a
truism as observed in the case of State of M.P. v.
Shyamsunder Trivedi [SCC at p.273) that the ,E
exaggerated adherence to and insistence upon the
establishment of proof beyond every reasonable doubt, by
the prosecution, ignoring the ground realities, the fact
situation and the peculiar.circumstances of a given case
often results in miscarriage of justice and makes the justice F
delivery system a suspect; in the ultimate analysis, the
society suffers and a criminal gets encouraged.
Sometimes it is stated that only rights of the criminals are
kept in mind, the victims are forgotten. Despite this it
should be kept in mind that while imposing the rarest or G
rare punishment, i.e., death penalty, the court must balance
the mitigating and aggravating circumstance·s of the crime
and jt would depend upon particular and peculiar facts and
circumstances of each case."

- In Dharmendrasinh v. State of Gujarat, [(2002) 4 SCC H
144 SUPREME /COURT REPORTS [2009] 9 S.C.R.
J-
......
679], the court acknowledged that the crime committed was "no \t
A
-<
doubt heinous and unpardonable" and that two innoGent children
lost their lives for no fault of their, but the court chose to give "::""

force to mitigating circumstances in the following terms:

"The offence was obviously not committed for lust of power
B
or otherwise or with a view to grab any property nor in
pursuance of any organized criminal or anti-social activity.
Chances of repetition of such criminal acts at his hands making
the society further vulnerable are also not apparent. He had no "'
previous criminal record."
c
The court also stated the law in the following terms:

"20. Every murder is a heinous crime. Apart from personal
implications, it is also a crime against the society but in ·•
0 every case of murder death penalty is not to be awarded.
Under the present legal position, imprisonment for life is
the normal rule for punishing crime of murder and sentence
of death, as held in different cases referred to above,
would be awarded only in the rarest of rare cases. A
number of factors are to be taken into account namely, the
E
motive of the crime, the manner of the assault, the impact .
of the crime on the society as a whole, the personality of
the accused, circumstances and facts of the case as to
whether the crime committed, has been committed for ,.
satisfying any kind of lust, greed or .in pursuance of anti- ...
F social activity or by way of organized crime, drug trafficking '
or the like. Chances of inflicting the society with a similar
criminal act that is to say vulnerability of the.members of
the society at the hands of the accused in future and
ultimately as held in several cases, mitigating and
G aggravating circumstances of each case have to be
considered and a balance has to be struck. The learned
State counsel as indicated earlier has already indicated
the aggravating circumstances by reason of which it has
been vehemently urged that sentence of death deserves
H to be confirmed."

,-
'.
SANTOSH KUMAR SATISHBHUSHAN BARIYAR v. 145
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA [S.B. SINHA, J.]

Whether primacy should be accorded to aggravating A
circumstances or mitigating circumstances is not the question.
Court is duty bound by virtue of Bachan Singh (supra) to
equally consider both and then to arrive at a conclusion as to
respective weights to be accorded. We are also bound by the
spirit of Article 14 and Article 21 which forces us to adopt a B
principled approach to sentencing. This overarching policy
flowing from Bachan Singh (supra) applies to heinous crimes
as much as it applies to relatively less brutal murders. The court
in this regard held:
1
'Judges should never be bloodthirsty. Hanging of C
murderers has never been too good for them. Facts and
figures albeit incomplete, furnished by the Union of India,
show that in the past Courts have inflicted the extreme
penalty with extreme infrequency - a fact which attests to
the caution and compassion which they have always P
brought to bear on the exercise of their sentencing
discretion in so grave a matter. It is, therefore, imperative
to voice the concern that courts, aided by the broad
illustrative guidelines indicated by us, will discharge the
onerous function with evermore scrupulous care and !;:
humane concern, directed along the highroad of legislative
policy outlined in Section 354(3), viz., that for persons
convicted of murder, life imprisonment is the rule and death
sentence an exception."
F,
2(E). Public Opinion in Capital Sentencing

19. It is also to be pointed out that public opinion is difficult
to fit in the rarest of rare matrix. People's perception of crime
is neither an objective circumstance relating to crime nor to the
criminal. Perception of public is extraneous to conviction as also G'
sentencing, at least in capital sentencing according to the
mandate of Bachan Singh (supra).

Rarest of rare policy and legislative policy on death
punishment may not be essentially tuned to public opinion. Even H
146 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2009] 9 S.C.R.

A if presume that the general populace favours a liberal DP
policy, although there is no evidence to this effect, we can not
take note of it. We are governed by the dictum of Bachan
Singh (supra) according to which life imprisonment is the rule
and death punishment is an exception. We are also governed
s by the Constitution of _India. Article 14 and 21 are constitutional
safeguards and define the framework for state in its functions,
including penal functions. They introduce values of institutional
propriety, in terms of fairness, reasonableness and equal
treatment challenge with respect to procedure to be invoked
c by the state in its dealings with people in various capacities,
including as a convict. The position is, if the state is precariously '~
·placed to administer a policy within the confines of Article 21 lI
and 14, it should be applied most sparingly. This view flows
from Bachan Singh (supra) and it this light; we are afraid that
Constitution does not permit us to take a re-look on the capital
0
punishment policy and meet society's cry for justice through this
instrument.

The fact that we are here dealing with safeguards
entrenched in the Constitution should materially change the way
E we look for reasons while awarding the death punishment. The
arguments which may be relevant for sentencing with respect
to various other punishments may cease to apply in light of the
constitutional safeguards which come into operation when the
question relates to extinguishment of life. If there are two
F considerations, the one which has a constitutional origin shall
be favoured.

An inherent problem with consideration of public opinion
is its inarticulate state. Bachan Singh (supra)1noted that judges
G are ill-equipped to capture public opinion:

"125. Incidentally, the rejection by the people of the
approach adopted by the two learned Judges in Furman,
furnishes proof of the fact that judicial opinion does not
necessarily reflect the moral attitudes of the people. At the
H same time, it is a reminder that Judges should not take
"''
I
SANTOSH KUMAR SATISHBHUSHAN BARIYAR v. 147
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA [S.B. SINHA, J.]
upon themselves the responsibility of becoming oracles or A
spokesmen of public opinion: Not being representatives
of the people, it i::; often better, as a matter of judicial
restraint, to leave the function of assessing public opinion
to the choseh representatives of the people in the
legislature concerned. B

... 'The highest judicial duty is to recognise the limits on
judicial power and to permit the democratic processes to
deal with matters falling outside of those limits." As Judges,
we have to resist the temptation to substitute our own value
choices for the will of the people. Since substituted. judicial C
"made-to-order* standards, howsoever painstakingly
made, do not bear the people's imprimatur, they may not
have the same authenticity and efficacy as the silent zones
and green belts designedly marked out and left open by
Parliament in its legislative planning for fair-play of judicial D
discretion to take care of the variable, unpredictable
circumstances of the individual cases, relevant to
individualised sentencing. When Judges, acting individually
or collectively, in their benign anxiety to do what they think
is morally good for the people, take upon themselves the E
responsibility of setting; down social norms of conduct,
there is every danger, despite their effort to make a rational
guess of the notions of right and wrong prevailing in the
community at large and despite their intention to abide by
the dictates of mere reason, that they might write their own F
peculiar view or personal predilection into the law, sincerely
mistaking that changeling for what they perceive to be the
Community ethic. The perception of 'community' standards
or ethics may very from Judge to Judge .. " ·
G
Justice Powell's dissent in Furman (supra) also bears
repetition in this regard:

"But however one may assess amorphous ebb and flow
of public opinion generally on this volatile issue, this type
of inquiry lies at the periphery not the core of the judicial H
148 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2009] 9 S.C.R.

A process in constitutional cases. The assessment of .~
popular opinion is essentially a legislative, and not a
judicial, function."

The constitutional role of the judiciary also mandates taking a
perspective on individual rights at a higher pedestal than
8
majoritarian aspirations. To that extent we play a
countermajoritarian role. And this part of debate is not only
relevant in the annals of judicial review, but also to criminal
jurisprudence. Justice Jackson in West Virginia State Board
C of Education v. Barnette, [319 U.S. 624 (1943)] also opined
on similar lines:

"The very purpose of a bill of rights was to withdraw certain
.subjects from the vicissitudes of political controversy, to
place them beyond the reach of majorities and officials
D and to establish them as legal principles to be applied by Y
the courts. One's right to life, liberty, and property, to free
speech, a free press, freedom of worship and assembly
and other fundamental rights may not be submitted to vote;
they depend on the outcome of no elections."
E
Public Opinion may also run counter to the Rule of law and
constitutionalism. Bhagalpur Blinding case or the recent spate
of attacks on right to trial of the accused in the Bombay Blast
Case are recent examples. We are also not oblivious to the
danger of capital, sentencing becoming a spectacle in media.
F If media trial is a possibility, sentencing by media can not be
ruled out. Andrew Ashworth, a leading academic in the field of
sentencing, who has been at the center of sentencing reforms
in U.K., educates us of the problems in factoring in public
opinion in the sentencing. He (with Michael Hough), observes
G in an article, Sentencing and the Climate of Opinion (1996,
Criminal Law Review):

"The views of sentencing held by people outside the
criminal justice system- "the general public"-will always
H be important even if they should not be determinative in
SANTOSH KUMAR SATISHBHUSHAN BARIYAR v. 149
STATE OF. MAHARASHTRA [S.8. SINHA, J.]

court. Unfortunately, the concept of public opinion in relation A
to sentencing practices is often employed in a superficial
or simplistic way. In this short article we have identified two
major difficulties with the use of the concept. First,
members of the public have insufficient knowledge of
actual sentencing practices. Second, there is a significant B
but much-neglected distinction between people's sweeping
~·
impressions of sentencing and their views in relation to
particular cases of which they know the facts. When it is
proclaimed that the public think the courts are too lenient,
both these difficulties are usually suppressed. c
To construct sentencing policy on this flawed and
partial notion of public opinion is irresponsible. Certainly,
the ·argument is hard to resist that public confidence in the
law must be maintained. It is also hard to resist the
proposition that public confidence in sentencing is low and D
probably falling. However, since the r~auses of this lie not
in sentencing practice but in misinformation and
misunderstanding, and (arguably) in factors only distantly
related to: criminal justice, ratcheting up the sentencing
tariff is hardly a rational way of regaining public confidence. E

This is not to deny that there is poJitical capital to be
made, at least in the short term, by espousing sentencing
policies which have the trappings of tough, decisive action.
However, the underlying source of public cynicism will not F
have been addressed; and once politicians embark on this
route, they may be committing themselves long-term to a
treadmill of toughness, "decisiveness", and high public
expenditure. The political costs of withdrawing from tough
policies, once embarked on, may be too high for politicians
G
of any hue to contemplate. The United States serves as
an example.

If the source of falling public confidence in sentencing
lies in lack of knowledge and understanding, the obvious
corrective policy is to explain and to educate, rather than H
150 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2009) 9 S.C.R.

A to adapt sentencing policy to fit a flawed conception of
public opinion. But who should be the target of such
explanation ~nd education? We' have serious doubts
whether attempts to reach the ordinary citizen directly will
have any impact at all. On the other hand, we think it
B feasible, within limits, to educate those who shape public
opinion. Newspaper and television journalists, for example,
responded well to the initiatives in the 1980s intended to """ l

curb the reporting of crime in ways that needlessly fuelled
fear of crime. A similar initiative should now be mounted
c in relation to sentencing."

Capital sentencing is one such field where the safeguards
continuously take strength from the Constitution, and on that end
we are of the view that public opinion does not have any role
to play. In fact, the case where there is overwhelming public
D opinion favouring death penalty would be an acid test of the
constitutional propriety of capital sentencing process.

3. PRINCIPLED SENTENCING

E 3(A). Mandate of Bachan Singh (supra) on Value of
Precedents

20. This court laid down rarest of rare dictum therein and
thereby endorsed a broad sentencing threshold. It has been
interpreted by courts in various ways.
F
It is important to note here that principled application of
rarest of rare dictum does not come in the way of individualized
sentencing. With necessary room for sentencing, consistency
has to be· achieved in the manner in which rarest of rare dictum
G has to be applied by courts.

Bachan Singh (supra) expressly barred one time
enunciation of minute guidelines through a judicial verdict. The
court held that only executive is competent to bring in detailed
guidelines to regulate discretion. On this count judicial restraint
H
SANTOSH KUMAR SATISHBHUSHAN BARIYAR v. 151
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA [S.B. SINHA, J.]

was advocated. But at the same time, it actively relied on judicial A
precedent in disciplining sentencing discretion to repel the
argument of arbitrariness and Article 14 challenge. An embargo
on introduction of judicial guidelines was put therein but organic
evolution of set of principles on sentencing through judicial
pronouncements was not ruled out. This is how precedent aids B
development of law in any branch of law and capital sentencing
can not be an exception to this.

Sentencing discretion is also a kind of discretion and is
shall be exercised judicially in light of the precedents.
c
It observes that the superior courts must correct wrong
application of section 302. It is very obvious that appellate
courts can not discharge review function without taking aid of
established principles. In Jagmohan Sir;gh v. State of UP.,
[(1973) 1 SCC 20], the Court's observation in this context was D
subsequently followed noting:

" ... The impossibility of laying down standards is at the very
core of the criminal law as administered in India which
invests the judges with a very wide discretion in the matter E
of fixing the degree of punishment. The discretion in the
matter of sentence is, as already pointed out, liable to be
corrected by superior courts. Laying down of standards to
the limited extent possible as was done in the Model
Judicial Code would not serve the purpose. The exercise
of judicial discretion on well-recognised principles is, in F
the final analysis, the safest possible safeguards for the
accused."

Bachan Singh (supra) elaborated on "well recognized
principles" in the following terms: G

"197. In Jagmohan, this Court had held that this sentencing
discretion is to be exercised judicially on well recognised
principles, after balancing all the aggravating and mitigating
circumstances of the crime. By "well recognised principles" the H
152 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2009) 9 S.C.R.

j
A court obviously meant the principles crystallised by judicial
decisions illustrating as to what were regarded as aggravating
or mitigating circumstances in those cases. The legislative
changes since Jagmohan - as we have discussed already
- do not have the effect of abrogating or nullifying those
s principles. The only effect is that the application of those
principles is now to be guided by the paramount beacons of
legislative policy discernible from Sections 354(3) and 235(2),
namely: (1) The extreme penalty can be inflicted only in gravest
cases of extreme culpability; (2) In making choice of the
c sentence, in addition to the circumstanc~s. of the offence, due
regard must be paid to the circumstances of the offender, also."

It continuing in the same vein held:

"Cognizant of the past experience of the administration of
D death penalty in India, Parliament; in its wisdom, thought
it best and safe to leave the imposition of this gravest
punishment in gravest cases of murder, to the judicial
discretion of the courts which are manned by persons of
reason, experience and standing in the profession. The
E exercise of this sentencing discretion cannot be said to
be untrammelled and unguided. It is exercised judicially
in accordance with well recognised principles crystallised
by judicial decisions, directed along the broad contours
of legislative policy towards the signposts enacted in
F Section 354(3)."

3(8). Cases Where Death Penalty Was Imposed/Affirmed

21. In Ram Singh v. Sonia and Ors. [2007 (3) SCALE
106] the accused couple had, in a most diabolic manner, ended
G the lives of their family members, which included the step brother
of the wife, his children and even her own father, mother and
sister, all with the motive of inheriting the family property. This
Court noting the cold blooded and pre meditated approach in
murdering the family while they were all sleeping considered it
H as a fit case for the imposition of death penalty on the couple.
SANTOSH KUMAR SATISHBHUSHAN BARIYAR v. 153
' STATE OF MAHARASHTRA [S.B. SINHA, J.]
A
- .. In Prajeet Kumar Singh v. State of Bihar [2008 (4)
SCALE 442] the accused had murdered the children of the
family where he had been staying as a tenant for the past four
years, while they were sleeping. He thereafter proceeded to
attack the adult members of the family who on hearing the
screams of their children had come to their rescue. The court B
noting the brutality of manner of the attack considered it a fit
case for the imposition of death sentence.
""
In Mohan Anna Chavan (supra) the court upheld the death
sentence imposed on a serial rapist. The accused had already
been convicted twice for the raping a minor girl, but on the first
c
occasion he was awarded a sentence only of two years and
"'• on the second, sentence of ten years rigorous imprisonment
only. When the accused was convicted of raping and murdering
two minor girls again, the court refused to interfere with the
death sentence awarded bv the lower courts. D

In Bantu v. State of Uttar Pradesh [2008 (10) SCALE 336]
the accused had, after raping a six year old girl, tried to conceal
his crime by inserting a stick in l;ler vagina which ultimately
resulted in causing her death. The court noted that the depraved E
acts of the accused only deserved a death sentence.

.. In Shivaji@ Dady Shankar A/hat (supra) the accused had
~ raped and murdered a nine year old girl. This Court therein
rejecting the argument that the conviction having been based
in circumstantial evidence, death penalty should not be F
awarded, affirmed the death penalty awarded by the lower
court.

In State of U.P. v. Sattan, [2009 (3) SCALE 394], six
members of a family were murdered by the accused leaving G
• j only three survivors over some personal enmity. The trial court
awarded them death sentence. The High Court commuted the
sentence to one of life imprisonment. The Supreme Court in
appeal noting the brutality of murder held that the accused
deserved only a death penalty. H
\-

154 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2009] 9 S.C.R.
•
A 3{C}. Cases Where Death Penalt~ was not Awarded/
Affirmed .,,
22. In Ujjagar Singh v. $ff3te of Punjab, [2007 (14) SCALE
428] the accused had been convicted of murder 1;1nd rape cind
accordingly sentenced to death by the lower courts. This Court
B
in appeal, acquitting the accused only of the charge of rape
because of the lack of evidence, noted that since the charge :>l
of rape. formed a substantial portion of reasoning for causing
the death, the death sentence on the accused could no longer
be sustained, once he was acquitted on that charge. The
c sentence was accordingly altered to one of life imprisonment.

In Amrit Singh v. State of Punjab [2006 (11) SCALE 309]
•-'"
the accused had raped a minor girl. The victim died a painful
death because of bleeding from h~r privet~ pgrt~. The court,
D however, noted that the accuse~ niigflt not have had the
intention of murdering the victim, but her death was only the
unfortunate inevitable' consequence of the crime, hence it did
not fall within the rarest of the rare cases.

In Bishnu Prasad Sinha and Anr. v. State of Assam [2007
E
(2) SCALE 42], this Court commuted the death penalty of the
accused on the ground that the prosecution case was entirely
based on circumstantial evidence.

·-
~

In State of Maharashtra v. Prakash Sakha Vasave and
F others, [2009 (1) SCALE 713] the accused had brutally
attacked with axes the husband of their sister, who was having
an illicit relationship with another woman. The trial court had
found two of the accused guilty and sentenced them to death.
In appeal the High Court acquitted the accused because of lack
G of evidence. This Court in appeal set aside the judgment of
acquittal passed by the High Court but noticed that the case ......
before it did not fall in the rarest of rare and deserved only a
life imprisonment.

H •
SANTOSH KUMAR SATISHBHUSHAN BARIYAR v. 155
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA [S.B. SINHA, J.]
3{0} Differing OQinion in other cases A
....
23. While dealing with a matter as to whether death
penalty should be awarded or not, although the court ordinarily
would look to the precedents, but, this becomes extremely
difficult, if not impossible, in the context of the cases discussed
B
above. There is no uniformity of precedents, to say the least.
F In most cases, the death penalty has been affirmed or refused
to be affirmed by us, without laying down any legal principle.

In Aloke Nath Dutt and Ors. v. State of West Bengal,
[2006 (13) SCALE 467] this Court after examining various c
judgments over the past two decades in which the issues of
.... rarest of rare fell for consideration, admitted the failure on the
part of this Court to evolve a uniform sentencing policy in
capital punishment cases and conclude as to what amounted
-~

to 'rarest of rare'. Disparity in sentencing has also been noted ,D
in Swamy Shraddanandci v. State of Karnataka (Swamy
Shraddananda - I) [(2007) 12 SCC 288].

In the aforementioned backdrop, we may notice a recent
three-Judge Bench decision of this Court in Swamy
Shraddananda @ Murali Manohar Mishra (supr_a). Aftab E
Alam, J., writing the judgment for the Three-Judge Bench held:
~
"33. The truth of the matter is that the question of death
penalty is not free from the subjective element and the
confirmation of death sentence or its commutation by this F
Court depends a good deal on the personal predilection
of the judges constituting the bench.

34. The inability of the Criminal Justice System to deal with
all major crimes equally effectively and the want of
G
uniformity in the sentencing process byJhe Court lead to
a marked imbalance in the end results. On the one hand
there appears a small band of cases in which the murder
convict is sent to the gallows on confirmation of his death
penalty by this Court and on the other hand there is a much
H
,
()
'

•
~

156 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2009) 9 S.C.R. •·

A wider area of cases in which the offender committing......_
murder of a similar or a far more revolting kind is spared ......
his life due to lack of consistency by the Court in giving
punishments or worse the offender is allowed to slip away
unpunished on account of the deficiencies in the Criminal
8 Justice System. Thus the overall larger picture gets
asymmetric and lop-sided and presents a poor reflection
of the system of criminal administration of justice. This ~

situation is matter of concern for this Court and needs to
be remedied."
c The issue of subjectivity has also been previously noticed
by both academics and this Court. Professor Anthony R.
Blackshield's analysis in the mid 1970s showed this trend in .,-

the pre-Bachan Singh period. [see Journal of the Indian Law
Institute 1979). This was also noticed by Bhagwati, J. in his
D dissenting judgment in Bachan Singh (supra).

In the post-Bachan Singh period, a joint report by the
Amnesty International - India and People's Union for Civil
Liberties Report titled "Lethal Lottery: The Death Penalty in
E India, A study of Supreme Court Judgments in death penalty
cases 1950-2006" and the Swamy Shraddananda (supra)
judgment show quite clearly that not much has changed in this
respect. )..

"
To assist future benches at considering the facts of
F individual cases however, the Constitution Bench in Bachan
Singh (supra) did however note certain aggravating and
mitigating factors mentioned by the Amicus Curie (drawn from
jurisprudence from the USA as also Clauses (2)(a), (b), (c) and
(d) of the already lapsed Indian Penal Code (Amendment) Bill,
G 1972). The Supreme Court did however endorse them, referring
to them as "undoubtedly relevant circumstances and must be ~ ...
given great weight in the determination of sentence".

Machhi Singh v. State of Punjab, [ (1983) 3 SCC 470 ]
went further and made a tabular comparison of such mitigating
..,
H
SANTOSH KUMAR SATISHBHUSHAN BARIYAR v. 157
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA [S.B. SINHA, J.]
and aggravating circumstances. A

Yet as the above discussion has clearly shown, it is now
clear that even the balance-sheet of aggravating and mitigating
circumstances approach invoked on a case by case basis has
not worked sufficiently well so as to remove the vice of B
arbitrariness from our capital sentencing system. It can be
safely said that the Bachan Singh threshold of "rarest of rare
cases" h,as been most variedly and inconsistently applied by
the various High Courts as also this court. At this point we also
wish to point out that the uncertainty in the law of capital C
sentencing has special consequence as the matter relates' to
death penalty - the gravest penalty arriving out of the exercise
of extraordinarily wide sentencing discretion, which is
irrevocable in nature. This extremely uneven application of
Bachan Singh (supra) has given rise to a state of uncertainty
in capital sentencing law which clearly falls foul of constitutional D
due process and equality principle. The situation is unviable as
legal discretion which is conferred on the executive or the
judiciary is only sustainable in law if there is any indication,
either though law or precedent, as to the scope of the discretion
and the manner of its exercise. There should also be sufficient E
clarity having regard to the legitimate aim of the measure iri
questio11t Constitution of India provides for safeguards to giv(?
the individual adequate protection against arbitrary imposition
of criminal punishment.
F
Although these questions are not under consideration and
cannot be addressed here and now, we cannot help but observe
the global move away from the death penalty. Latest statistics
show that 138 nations have now abolished the death penalty
in either law or practice (no executions for 10 years). Our own' G
neighbours, Nepal and Bhutan are part of these abolitionist
nations while others including Philippines and South Korea
have also recently joined the abolitionist group, in law and in
practice respectively. We are also aware that on 18 December·
2007, the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution· H
158 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2009] 9 S.C.R..

A 62/149 calling upon countries that retain the death penalty to
establish a worldwide moratorium on executions With a view to
abolishing the death penalty.

India is, however, one of the 59 nations that retain the
death penalty. Credible research, perhaps by the Law
8
Commission of India or the National Human Rights Commission
may allow for an up to date and informed discussion and
debate on the subject.

CONSTITUTIONAL LANDSCAPE ON CAPITAL
C SENTENCING: MINIMUM SAFEGUARDS

24. We have already dealt with the ratio of Bachan Singh
(supra) in detail but here we would focus on the backdrop to
the Rarest of rare dictum and the dilemma faced by the Bachan
0 Singh court in this regard. The perspective which emerges from
this reading showcases the constitutional riddle which is
inherent to law on capital sentencing in India.

At the very outset Bachan Singh (supra) delineated the
scope of the matter in the following terms:
E
"The principal questions that fall to be considered in this
case are:

(i) Whether death penalty provided for the offence of
murder in Section 302, Penal Code is unconstitutional.
F
(ii) If the answer to the foregoing question be in the
negative, whetherthe sentencing procedure provided in
Sec. 354(3) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 is
unconstitutional on the ground that it invests the Court with
G unguided and untrammeled discretion and allows death
sentence to be arbitrarily or freakishly imposed on a person
found guilty of murder or any other capital offence
punishable under the Indian Penal Code with death or, in
the alternative, with imprisonmE?nt for life."
H
SANTOSH KUMAR SATISHBHUSHAN BARIYAR v. 159
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA [S.S. SINHA, J.]
In the ensuing discussion, the court held that Sections 302 A
Penal Code and 354(3) of the Code of Criminal Procedure,
~-
1973 are constitutional but only after enunciating "broad
guidelines and principles" which today govern the practice on
capital sentence in all courts, be it trial courts or the appellate
courts. B
In one sense, the scope of Bachan Singh (supra) was fully
r met when it practically declared death penalty (procedurally and
substantively) constitutional but the bench went on to entrench
an unprecedented jurisprudence on the sentencing front. This
jurisprudence, of which Rarest of rare dictum is the central part, c

... forms the bed rock of death penalty jurisprudence. The way
ahead shown by Bachan Singh (supra) is not merely in
compliance of statutory safeguards under section 354(3) and
section 235(2) but also of Rarest of rare dictum. Therefore, the
overall legislative scheme on death penalty was cleared of D
constitutional challenge only after it was conjoined with the
Rarest of rare dictum.

Thomas, J. also reached to a similar conclusion in Ram
Deo Chauhan v. State of Assam [(2001) 5 SC 714]:
;.. E
"A peep into the historical background of how death
penalty survived Article 21 of the Constitution would be
~I
useful in this context.

Apart from the two schools of thought putting forward their F
respective points of view stridently - one pleading for
retention of death penalty and the other for abolition of it -
a serious question arose whether the law enabling the
State to take away the life of a person by way of
punishment would be hit by the forbid contai.ned in Article G
21 of the Constitution. In Bachan Singh vs. State of
Punjab (supra) the majority Judges of the Constitution
Bench saved the death penalty from being chopped out
of the statute book by ordering that death penalty should
be strictly restricted to the tiniest category of the rarest of
H
160 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2009] 9 S.C.R ..

A the rare cases in which the lesser alternative is
unquestionably foreclosed."

On a deeper reading of Bachan Singh (supra) it becomes
clear that the court was operating under two fundamental
constraints while dealing with the constitutionality challenge:
8
Firstly, death penalty is mentioned in the Constitution (for
instance under Article 161 and Article 72(1)(c). Constitutional "'1
recognition was taken to be a primary signal for the legitimacy
for section 302.
c
Secondly, owing to separation of power doctrine, the court
took a deferential view towards section 354(3) which was
brought in to discipline the courts on death penalty by making
life imprisonment the rule and death penalty exception.

D Laboring under the aforementioned constraints, the death
penalty was held constitutional. This affirmative response to
constitutionality of death penalty presented another complicated
challenge which related to administration of death penalty or
in other words, sentencing of capital punishment. This has been
E universally considered as a vexed question of law and practice
and has not been satisfactorily dealt with in any jurisdiction so
far.
).
It is interesting to note here that this Court opined in State
F of Punjab v. Prem Sagar and Ors. [JT 2008 (7) SC 66], as I-

late as 2008, that there is no sentencing policy in India. But
Bachan Singh (supra) treated death penalty as an exceptional
penalty, different from any other punishment, and did lay down
a policy prescription on sentencing, way back in 1980.

G We have also noticed that in numerous decisions of this
court, constitutional guarantees have been invoked at some
stage of capital sentencing. Similarly, rarest of rare dictum takes
its colour from constitutional guarantees.

H
SANTOSH KUMAR SATISHBHUSHAN BARIYAR v. 161
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA [S.B. SINHA, J.]
1. "JUSTICE" IN CAPITAL SENTENCING A

25. Justice must be the first virtue of the law of sentencing.
A sentencing court must consider itself to be a "forum of
principle". The central idea of such a forum is its continuing
commitment to inhere a doctrinal approach around a core 8
normative idea. "Principled reasoning" flowing from judicial
precedent or legislation is the premise from which the courts
r derive the power. The movement to preserve substantial judicial
discretion to individualize sentences within a range of
punishments also has its basis in the court's ability to give C
principled reasoning.

The claim of sentencing to being a principled exercise is
very important to the independent and unpartisan image of
judiciary. R. v. Willaert (1953), 105 C.C.C. 172 (Ont.C.A.) way
_, /. back in 1953, envisaged the role of judge in sentencing as "an D
/. art-a very difficult art-essentially practical, and directly
related to the needs of society." We have now come from that
' ;
. description of court to court as "forum of principle". This role is
consistent with the constitutional mandate of due process and ·
equal protection. E

(See Ronald Dworkin, The Forum of Principle 56 NYU L.
Rev. 469 (1981) for more on "forum of principle"; for more on
justice and sentencing see Von Hirsch and Andrew Ashworth,
The Sentencing Theory Debate: Convergence in Outcomes,
F
Divergence in Reasoning Proportionate Sentencing: Exploring
The Principles, Oxford University Press, 2005)

There is a fundamental relationship between the legitimacy
of sentence belonging to a particular potency and the reasons
accorded by the court to justify the same. This flows from the G
inherent nature of punishment which can be understood as a
coercive force invoked by the state for a legitimate purpose. It
was Bentham who said that "all punishment in itself is evil. Upon
the principle of utility, if it ought at all to be admitted, it ought
only to be admitted in as far as it promises to exclude some H
162 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2009] 9 S.C.R.
"
'
'
A greater evil." (See Jeremy Bentham, An Introduction to the
Principles of Morals and Legislation, in A Fragment of
Government with An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and
Legislation 281 (1948).)
-
The reasons which are accc;:irded by the court to justify the
B
punishment should be able to address the questions relating !
L
to fair distribution of punishment amongst similarly situated
"'j
convicts. This may be called the problem of distributive justice
in capital sentence. In this context, the inquiry under Article 14
becomes significant. Fairness in this context has two aspects:
c t
First refers to fair distribution amongst like offenders

And the second relates to the appropriate criteria for the .
punishment. -,
D The sentencing process, based on precedents around
Bachan Singh (supra), should help us to determine specific,
deserved sentences in particular cases. The reason as to why
questions of justice play such an important part in the
distribution of capital punishment; lies in the special nature of
E capital punishment itself. Distributive justice is a relative notion:
one can never determine whether one has received one's fair
share except by comparison with that which has been allocated
to others. Both questions are intertwined when we speak of J.
Capital Sentence.
F
Scholars have described the problem of disparate
sentencing variously. Characterizing a situation before
sentencing reforms swept American jurisdiction, when judges
were using personal judgments to decide the questions of
~

G sentencing, Marvin Frankel referred the practice as "wasteland
i

in the law" and the general situation as one of "lawlessness."
(See Marvin E. Frankel, Lawlessness in Sentencing, 41 U. Cin.
L. Rev. 1 (1972)) /

H
SANTOSH KUMAR SATISHBHUSHAN BARIYAR v. 163
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA [S.B. SINHA, J.]
2. EQUAL PROTECTION CLAUSE A
26. A survey of the application of Rarest of rare doctrine
in various courts will reveal that various courts have given their
own meaning to the doctrine. This variation in the interpretation
of Rarest of rare analysis may amount to be constitutionally 8
infirm because of apparent arbitrariness on the count of content
of the doctrine.
f
The moot question is whether, after more than quarter of
a century since Bachan Singh (supra) recognized death
penalty as a constitutionally permissible penalty, we can distill C
a meaningful basis from our precedent on death penalty, for·
distinguishing the few cases in which the capital sentence is
imposed from the many cases in which it is not? A similar
question was put by Justice Stewart in Furman (supra). He
noted death sentences are cruel and unusual in the same way D
as being "struck by lightning is cruel and unusual". Moreover,
the petitioners sentenced to death were seen as "capriciously
selected random handful" and the question posed was whet~er
the eighth amendment could tolerate death sentences "so
wantonly and so freakishly imposed." Today, it could be safely E
said in the context of Indian experience on death penalty that
no standards can be culled out from the judge made law which
governs the selection of penalty apart from broad overall
guideline of Rarest of rare under Bachan Singh (supra).
FI
Frequent findings as to arbitrariness in sentencing under
section 302 may violate the idea of equal protection clause
implicit under Article 14 and may also fall foul of the due process
requirement under Article 21. It is to be noted that we are not
focusing on whether wide discretion to choose between life
imprisonment and death punishment under section 302 is G
constitutionally permissible or not. The subject-matter of inquiry
is how discretion under section 302 may result in arbitrariness
in actual sentencing. Section 302 as held by Bachan Singh
(supra) is not an example of law which is arbitrary on its face
but is an instance where law may have been arbitrarily H
164 SUPREME COURT REPORTS. [2009] 9 S.C.R.

A administered.

In Swamy Shraddananda (supra), this court noted
arbitrariness-in-fact prevalent in the capital sentencing process
with extraordinary candour:
B "Coupled with the deficiency of the Criminal Justice System
is the lack of consistency in the sentencing process even
by this Court. It is noted above that Bachan Singh laid
down the principle of the Rarest of .rare cases. Machhi
Singh, for practical application crystallised the principle into
c five definite categories of cases of murder and in doing
so also considerably enlarged the scope for imposing
death penalty. But the unfortunate reality is that in later
decisions neither the Rarest of rare cases principle nor the
Machhi Singh categories were followed uniformly and
D consistently. In Aloke Nath Dutta v. State of West Bengal
Sinha J. gave some very good illustrations from a number
of recent decisions in which on similar facts this Court took
contrary views on giving death penalty to the convict (see
paragraphs 154 to 182, pp.504-510 SCALE). He finally
E observed that ·courts in the matter of sentencing act
differently although the fact situation may appear to be
somewhat similar' and further 'it is evident that different
benches had taken different view in the matter'. Katju J. in
his order passed in this appeal said that he did not agree
F with the decision in Aloke Nath Dutt in that it held that
death sentence was not to be awarded in a case of
circumstantial evidence. Katju J. may be right that there
can not be an absolute rule excluding death sentence in
all cases of circt,.Jmstantial evidence (though in Aloke Nath
Dutta it is said 'normally' and not as an absolute rule). But
G
there is no denying the illustrations cited by Sinha J. which
are a matter of fact.

32. The same point is made in far greater detail in a report
called, "Lethal Lottery, The Death Penalty in India"
,H compiled jointly by Amnesty International India and
SANTOSH KUMAR SATISHBHUSHAN BARIYAR v. 165
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA [S.B. SINHA, J.]
Peoples Union For Civil Liberties, Tamil Nadu & A
Puducherry. The report is based on the study of Supreme
Court judgments in death penalty cases from 1950 to 2006.
One of the main points made in the report (see chapter 2
to 4) is about the Court's lack of uniformity and consistency
in awarding death sentence. B

33. The truth of the matter is that the question of death
penalty is not free from the subjective element and the
confirmation of death sentence or its commutation by this
Court depends a good deal on the personal predilection C
ofthe judges constituting the bench.

34. The inability of the Criminal Justice System to deal with
all major crimes equally effectively and the want of
uniformity in the sentencing process by the Court lead to
a marked imbalance in the end results. On the one hand D
there appears a small band of cases in which the murder
convict is sent to the gallows on confirmation of his death
penalty by this Court and on the other hand there is a much
wider area of cases in which the offender committing
murder of a similar or a far more revolting kind is spared E.
his life due to lack of consistency by the Court in giving
punishments or worse the offender is allowed to slip away
unpunished on account of the deficiencies in the Criminal
Justice System. Thus the overall larger picture gets
asymmetric and lop-sided and presents a poor reflection F
of the system of criminal administration of justice. This
situation is matter of concern for this Court and needs to
be remedied.

35. These are some of the larger issues that make us feel
re·luctant in confirming the death sentence of the appellant. G

Equal protection clause ingrained under Article 14 applies
to the judicial process at the sentencing stage. We share
the court's unease and sense of disquiet in Swamy
Shraddananda case and agree that a capital sentencing H
166 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2009] 9 S.C.R.

A system which results in differential treatment of similarly
situated capital convicts effectively classify similar convict
differently with respect to their right to life under Article 21. .
Therefore, an equal protection analysis of this problem is
appropriate.
B
In the ultimate analysis, it serves as an alarm bell because
if capital sentences cannot be rationally distinguished from ,.
a significant number of cases where the result was a life
sentence, it is more than· an acknowledgement of an
imperfect sentencing system. In a capital sentencing
c system if)his happens with some frequency there is a
lurkjng conclusion as regards the capital sentencing
system becoming constitutionally arbitrary.n

We have to be, thus, mindful that the true import of Rarest
D of rare doctrine speaks of an ~xtraordinary and exceptional ~

case.

When the court is faced with a capital sentencing case, a
comparative analysis of the case before it with other
purportedly similar cases would be in the fitness of the scheme
E
of the Constitution. Comparison will presuppose an
identification of a pool of equivalently circumstanced capital
defendants. The gravity, nature and motive relating to crime will
play a role play a role in this analysis. +·

F Next step would be to deal with the subjectivity involved in
capital cases. The imprecision of the identification of
aggravating and mitigating circumstances has to be minimized.
It is to be noted that the mandate of equality clause applies to
the sentencing process rather than the outcome. The
G comparative review must be undertaken not to channel the
sentencing discretion available to the courts but to bring in
consistency in identification of various relevant circumstances.

The aggravating and mitigating circumstances have to be
separately identified under a rigorous measure. Bachan Singh
H
SANTOSH KUMAR SATISHBHUSHAN BARIYAR v. 167
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA [S.B. SINHA, J.]
(supra), when mandates principled precedent based A
sentencing, compels careful s.crutiny of mitigating
circumstances and aggravating circumstances and then
factoring in a process by which aggravating and mitigating
circumstances appearing from the pool of comparable cases
can be compared. B

The weight which is accorded by the court to particular
aggravating and mitigating circumstances may vary from case
to case in the name of individuarized sentencing, but at the
same time reasons for apportionment of weights shall be c'
forthcoming. Such a comparison may point out excessiveness
as also will help repel arbitrariness objections in future.

A sentencing hearing, comparative review of cases and
similarly aggravating and mitigating circumstances analysis can
only be given a go by if the sentencing court opts for a life D
imprisonment.

3. THE "RAREST" OF "RARE CASES"

27. Bachan Singh (supra) laid down its fundamental
threshold in the following terms: E

"A real and abiding concern for the dignity of human life
postulates resistance to taking a life through law's
instrumentality. That ought not to be done save in the
Rarest of rare cases when the alternative option is F
unquestionably foreclosed."

To translate the principle in sentencing terms, firstly, it may
be necessary to establish general pool of rare capital cases.
Once this general pool is established, a smaller pool of rare G
cases may have to established to compare and arrive at a
finding of Rarest of rare case.

4. ARTICLE 21

28. Right to life, in its barest of connotation would imply H
168 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2009} 9 S.C.R.

A right to mere survival. In this form, right to life is the most
fundamental of all rights. Consequently a punishment which
aims at taking away life is the gravest punishment. Capital
punishment imposes a limitation on the essential content of the
fundamental rightto life, eliminating it irretrievably. We realize
B the absolute nature of this right, in the sense that it is a source
of all other rights. Other rights may be limited, and may even
be withdrawn and then granted again, but their ultimate limit is
to be found in the preservation of the right to life. Right to life is
the essential content of all rights under the Constitution. If life
c is taken away all, other rights cease to exist. South African
constitutional court in S v. Makwanyane [1994 (3) SA 868 (A)}
captures the crux of right to life in following terms:

"Prisoners are entitled to all their personal rights and
personal dignity not temporarily taken away by law, or
D necessarily inconsistent with the circumstances in which
they had been placed.

A prisoner is not stripped naked, bound, gagged and
chained to his or h~ cell. The right of association with
E other prisoners, the right to exercise, to write and receive
letters and the rights of personality referred to by Innes J
are of vital importance to prisoners and highly valued by
them precisely because they are· confined, have only
limited contact with the outside world, and are subject to
prison discipline. Imprisonment is a severe punishment; but
F
prisoners retain all the rights to which every person is
entitled under Chapter 3 subject only to limitations
imposed by the prison regime that are justifiable under
section 33. Of these, none are more important than the
section 11 (2) right not to be subjected to "torture of any
G
kind ... nor to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or
punishment". ·

There is a difference between encroaching upon rights for
the purpose of punishment and destroying them altogether.
H It is that difference with which we are concerned in the
SANTOSH KUMAR SATISHBHUSHAN BARIYAR v. 169
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA [S.B. SINHA, J.]

"' present case." A
"'-·
This court has acknowledged Death Punishment to be the
most extraordinary penalty in various decisions. In Shankarlal
Gyarasila/ Dixit v. State of Maharashtra [(1981) 2 SCC 35] the
court held: B
"Unfaithful husbands, unchaste wives and unruly children
T
are not for that reason to be sentenced to death if they
commit murders unconnected with the state of their
equation with their family and friends. The passing of the
sentence of death must elicit the greatest concern and c
solicitude of the Judge because, that is one sentence
,(~
which cannot be recalled."

Therefore, in the context of punishments, the protections
emanating from Article 14 and Article 21 have to be applied in D
the strictest possible terms. flt this juncture, it is best to point
out that the ensuing discussion, although applicable in
constitutionality context, is carried out in the context of
sentencing of death punishment. In every capital sentence case,
it must be borne in mind that the threshold of rarest of rare
E
cases is informed by Article 14 and 21, owing to the inherent
nature of death penalty. Post Bachan Singh (supra), capital
--j
sentencing has come into the folds of constitutional
adjudication. This is by virtue of the safeguards entrenched in
Article 14 and 21 of our constitution.
F
Article 21 imposes two kinds of limitations, which overlap
in their reach, on punishments:

4{A}. Due ~rocess reguirement

.. '
29. With non-capital punishments, a more severe
-punishment for one offender than another is commonly
accepted, even in similar circumstances. The infinite gradation's
of guilt and the limits of human capacity to judge cause us to
G

overlook differential treatment of apparently similar convicts. As
the relative severity of punishment increases, how ever, it H
170 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2009] 9 S.C.R.

A becomes more difficult to overlook sentencing disparities.
Death is the most severe of all punishments. _,,

The US Supreme Court has acknowledged that there is a
profound and immeasurable gap between a death sentence
and a life sentence. In Woodson, [428 U.S. at 305] the court
B
held that there is a corresponding difference in the need for
reliability in the determination that death is the appropriate 1
punishment in a specific case. (see also Lockett, [438 U.S. at
604]) In Rummel v. Estelle, [445 U.S. 263, 272 (1980)], the
c Court noted that challenges to the excessiveness of particular
sentences have rarely been successful in non-capital cases.

Fairness to any capitally sentenced convict, therefore, ~ ..
requires an assessment of the relative propriety of the sentence.
Because of their irrevocability and severity, the Constitution
D requires greater reliability and fairness from sentencing courts
for,.capital sentences than for non-.capital sentences.

4(8). Proportionality Requirement

30. The Can~qian Charter of Rights makes provision for
E the limitation of rights through a general clause. Section 1 of
the Charter permits such reasonable limitations on Charter
rights "as can be demonstrably justified in a free and
~
democratic society". In R. v. Oakes, [1986] 1 $.C.R. 103 it was
held that in order to effect a limitation, there has to exist a
F sufficient objective to warrant the limitation of the right in
question. There should also be proportionality between the
limitation and such objective. In a frequently-cited passage,
Dickson, J. described the components of proportionality as
follows:
G
"There are, in my view, three important components of a
• ,_
proportionality test. First, the measures adopted must be
carefully designed to achieve the objective in question.
They must not be arbitrary, unfair or based on irrational
considerations. In short, they must be rationally connected ./
H
SANTOSH KUMAR SATISHBHUSHAN BARIYAR v. 171
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA [S.B. SINHA, J.]
j to the objective. Secondly, the means, even if rationally A
connected to the objective in the first sense, should impair
'as little -as possible' the right or freedom in question: R v
Big M Drug Mart Limited (supra).

Thirdly, there must be a proportionality between the effects
8
of the measures which are responsible for limiting the
charter right of freedom, and the objective which has been
identified as of 'sufficient importance'."

During the sentencing process, the sentencing court or the
appellate court for that matter, has to reach to a finding of a C
rational and objective connection between capital punishment
and the purpose for which it is prescribed. In sentencing terms,
"special reasons" as envisaged under section 354(3) Code of
Criminal Procedure have to satisfy the comparative utility which
capital sentence would serve over life imprisonment in the D
particular case. The questior. Nhether the punishment grar]ted
impairs the right to life under Article 21 as little as possible.

R. v. Chaulk, (1990] 3 S.C.R. 1303] suggested that the
means must impair the right "as little as is reasonably possible" .. E
The court held:

"Where cha.ices have to be made between "differing
reasonable policy options", the courts will allow the
Government the deference due to legislators, but "(will) not
give them an unrestricted licence to disregard an 1 F
individual's Charter rights. Where the Government cannot
show that it had a reasonable basis for concluding that it
has complied with the requirement of minimal impairment
in seeking to attain its objectives, the legislation will be
struck down"." G

The fact that capital sentence is a live penalty in India; we
should strive to tune the practice to the evolving standards of a
maturing society. The normative thresholds attached thereto
and evolving constitutional sensibilities shall continue to throw H
172 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2009) 9 S.C.R. ~

A fresh challenges. We have not fully resolved the dilemma arising
from the fact that the Constitution prohibits excessive
punishment borne out of undue process, but also permits, and .,,,.
contemplates that there will be capital punishment arising out
of an exercise of extremely wide discretion. This dilemma is
B inherently difficult to resolve. And we should refrain from
enforcing any artificial peace on this landscape.

While chasing for one option or the other, these -i

constitutional principles must be borne in mind. The nature of
capital sentencing is such that it is important that we ask the
c right questions. Tony Bottoms very aptly puts this general
sentencing dilemma, which become much more acute in
capital sentencing. He comments, that "justice" and punishment
_,..,
when applied to sentencing are "asymmetrical concepts, in the
sense that it is reasonably easy to establish what is unjust or
D undeserved, but not what, precisely, is just or deserved." (See
Anthony Bottoms, The Philosop'.1y and Politics of Punishment
and Sentencing, in The Politics of Sentencing Reform 20
(C.M.V. Clarkson & R. Morgan eds., 1995))

E Principle of prudence, enunciated by Bachan Singh
(supra) is sound counsel on this count which shall stand us in
good stead - whenever in the given circumstances, there is
difference of opinion with respect to any sentencing prop/
j.--
rationale, or subjectivity involved in the determining factors, or
F lack of thoroughness in complying with the sentencing
procedure, it would be advisable to fall in favour of the "rule" of
life imprisonment rather than invoking the "exception" of death
punishment. )

SENTENCING IN THIS CASE - BACHAN SINGH TEST
G
31. Let us now examine the relevant factors relating to
sentencing in this case, keeping in mind the letter and spirit of \ ..
the Bachan Singh (supra).

Kumar Gaurav (PW-1) has given the details of the incident.
H
/

SANTOSH KUMAR SATISHBHUSHAN BARIYAR v. 173
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA [S.B. SINHA, J.]
1 A
We have already noted his statement before the court primarily
on the deposition of the said Approver, Kumar Gaurav,
whereupon the prosecution relies to establish that the accused
deserves the harshest punishment.

Accused No. 1 however has a different story to tell. As per 8
him he himself, Kumar Gaurav (PW-1) and Kartikraj (the
·t deceased) had staged a fake kidnapping to extract money from
( Kartikraj's parents. It is evident from his deposition that all
persons involved were in the night of the incident having a party
at his flat situated in Amrapali Society. They were drunk. They
c
. had watched movies all night on the VCR. They made a phone
call at the residence of the father of Kartikraj, demanding
ransom. It was done only on the suggestion of Kumar Gaurav
(PW-1 ), the Approver. It was he who had suggested that they
could earn a good amount pretending to kidnap someone
amongst them. Kartikraj was chosen since his father was from D
a wealthy family. It was Kartikraj himself who had dialed his
father's number and- handed over the phone to Kumar Gaurav
(PW-1).

As per the appellant, they had continued the party even on E
the next day. Since all the liquor had been consumed he himself
/
and the deceased had at about 4.00 p.m. gone out to purchase
-4 some more liquor. Thereafter he had left the place to finish his
work and when he came back, he found Kartikraj lying in front
of the toilet having sustained head injuries. We may notice his F
statements from the judgment of the learned Sessions Judge
in the following terms:

'Thereafter, as he had some work, he dropped Kartikraj
to that flat and went to finish his work. Thereafter, when he
came back to that flat, he saw Kartikraj lying in front of the G
----<\ toilet sustaining head injury. Approver - Kumar Gaurav
and his two friends found frightened and worried.
Thereafter, when he inquired with. them as to what

- happened, Kumar Gaurav told him that after Kartikraj
brought bottles of Rum, he drunk very fast and got drink H
174 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2009] 9 S.C.R.

A very heavily and while going to the toilet, feli down etc. ..
Thereafter, when he suggested to take Kartikraj to a ~
doctor, approver Kumar Gaurav said that since he made
ransom call, nobody would believe them that Kartikraj fell
unconscious accidentally after drinking heavily. Thereafter,
B approver Kumar Gaurav told him that in fact Kartikraj is
dead and he has confirmed by checking his pulse. After
hearing this, he got very scared and told Kumar Gaurav 1·
that they must inform police and now, the joke has gone
too far. But, Kumar Gaurav told that he has thought about
c everything and asked him to dispose of the motorcycle of
Kartikraj. Accordingly, he left the flat and under mental
stress and fear, he wand~red here and there and finally
abandoned the motorcyde in wee hours of morning. Am
Thereafter, he did not go back to the flat of Amrapali
Society. On 9.8.2001 in the evening, he received phone ~
D
call of Kumar Gaurav (P.Y\f.1) asking him to come to
Mumbai at Dadar immediately and threatened him that if
he did not go as per his directions to Mumbai, he will
inform his name to the police. Therefore, he followed
whatever was being told by approver Kumar Gaurav. When
E
he went to Pariera Housing Society flat at Naigaon,
Mumbai, he saw Kumar Gaurav (P.W.1) and Accused ..,_
Nos. 2 and 3 there. There he was told by Kumar Gaurav
~-
(P.W.1) that he himself and his associates have disposed
of the dead body of Kartikraj and further told him that the
F father of Kartikraj is still ready to pay ransom and that he
would be sending the amount to Mumbai and he (Kumar
Gaurav P.W.1) will collect the amount. Thereafter when
Kumar Gaurav (P.W.1) went to collect the amount of
ransom, he was asked by Kumar Gaurav (P.W.1) to stand
G near Andheri Railway Station. Accordingly, when he was
standing near Andheri Railway Station, police along with I ...
Kumar Gaurav (P.W.1) came there and accosted him.
Thus, according to Accused No. 1 Santosh kumar Bariyar,
death of Kartikraj is accidental and his dead body is
,
H disposed of by Kumar Gaurav (P.W.1) and his friends. But,
SANTOSH KUMAR SATISHBHUSHAN BARIYAR v. 175
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA [S.B. SINHA, J.]
he does not know as to how the dead body of Kartikraj A
' was disposed of."

We may also notice the reasoning of the courts below in
imposing death sentences on the appellant. The learned
Sessions Judge as regards the appellant noted: 8
" ... It is Santoshkumar Bariyar's mas term ind which was
responsible for the ultimate act of brutal killing of Kartikraj
and it is, [he] who directed the accused Nos. 2 and 3, so
also, Kumar Gaurav (PW-1) to catch hold Kartikraj while
strangulation and further it is, [he] who directed Accused C
Nos. 2 and 3 and approver Kumar Gaurav (PW-1) to cut
the dead body of Kartikraj. Not only this, but it is, [he] who
' acted nastly and inhumanly manner by twisting right leg of
Kartikraj when one of the other accused could not cut in
the right leg of Kartikraj. Therefore, I am of the opinion that D

.
• it will not be possible to reform and rehabilitate the
accused No.1 by imposing [a] minimum sentence of
imprisonment for life. Hence, I hold that this is a rarest of
rare case."
E
The sentence was affirmed by the High Court stating:

" ... Examined from all angles, we feel that PW 1 has
established that the main architect of the conspiracy is A 1.
It was hatched by all the accused and carried out as per
the directions of A 1. A 1 showed extreme depravity in F
cutting th~ dead body and ensuring that it was disposed
of. The lust for money continued till the accused were
arrested ... "

However while imposing the sentence of imprisonment for G
life on Sanjeeb Kumar Roy (A 2) and Santosh Kumar Roy (A
•• 3) the learned Sessions Judge noted:

"As far as the Accused Nos. 2 and 3 are concerned, it is
evident from the proven facts that they accepted the plan
of Accused No. 1 only for monetary gain. The plan was H
176 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2009) 9 S.C.R.

A possessed by accused No. 1 only. The Accused Nos. 2 ~
and 3 as well as the approver Kumar Gaurav were ,_
motivated by accused No.1 Santosh Kumar Bariyar and ..,.,
therefore, they all hatched [a) criminal conspiracy. Hence
it cannot be disputed that the Accused Nos. 2 and 3
B participated in the commissiori of [the] crime at the behest
of Accused No. 1 Santosh K..imar Bariyar, which can be
considered as a mitigating circumstance. Considering this
1'
mitigating circumstance and ages of Accused Nos. 2 and
3, in my view, it will be just and proper to give them an
c opportunity to reform and rehabilitate by imposing
minimum sentence of life imprisonment"

The High Court refused to interfere with the question of the
,,..~

sentence on·the said accused in the following words: '

~-
1 -
D " ... Though it is true that A2 and A3 have actively ~
participated in the crime, the brain behind it is A 1. A2 and
A3 have carried out dictates of A 1. This is a mitigating . ;
~

)
circumstance. Hence, we are not inclined to enhance the
sentence." \
:
E
The doctrine of proportionality, which appears to be the ,.f
premise whereupon the learned trial judge as also the High
Court laid its foundation for awarding death penalty on the
appellant herein, provides for justifiable reasoning for awarding ,.
death penalty.
F "·-
However while imposing any sentence on the accused the
court must also keep in mind the doctrine of rehabilitation. This,
considering Section 354(3) of the Code, is especially so in the
cases where the court is to determine whether the case at hand

..
G falls within the rarest of the rare case.

·in
The reasons assigned by the courts below, our opinion,
do not satisfy Bachan Singh Test. Section 354 (3) of the Code
•
provides for an exception. General rule of doctrine .of
'•
proportionality, therefore, would not apply. We must read the
H ('
SANTOSH KUMAR SATISHBHUSHAN BARIYAR v. 177
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA [S.S. SINHA, J.]

said provision in the light of Article 21 of the Constitution of A .
India.

Law laid down by Bachan Singh (supra) and Machhi
Singh (supra) interpreting Section 354 (3) of the Code should
be taken to be a part of our constitutional scheme. B
Although the Constitutional Bench judgment of the
'f
Supreme Cowi in 8achan Singh (supra) did not lay down any
guidelines on determining which cases fall within the 'rarest of
rare' categoryj yet the mitigating circumstances listed in and
.
\

endorsed by the judgment gives reform and rehabilitation great c
importance, even requiring the state to prove that this would not
be possible, as a precondition before the court awarded a
~
death sentence. We cannot therefore determine punishment on
grounds of proportionality alone. There is nothing before us that
~
shows that the appellant cannot reform and be rehabilitated .. D
In Dhananjoy Chatterjee v. State of WB. [(1994) 4 SCC
220], this Court has taken notice of the fact that shockingly large
number of criminals go unpunished thereby increasingly
encouraging the criminals and in the ultimate making justice
E
suffer by weakening the system's credibility. Although the
increasing number of cases which affect the society may hold
some value for the sentencing court, but it cannot give a
..
complete go-by to the legal principle laid down by this court in
Bachan Singh (supra) that each case has to be considered
on its own facts.
F

Mr. Adsure has placed strong reliance on a decision of this
Court in Mohan and Others v. State of T.N. [(1998) 5 SCC 336]
to contend that the manner in which the murder was committed
itself point out that all the accused deserved death penalty. In G -
our opinion the facts of that case are clearly distinguishable
~
from the present one. That case involved the murder of a minor.
~

It clearly is not applicable to the present case. Moreover, the
court in that case too recognized that proper and due regard
must be given to the mitigating circumstances in every case. H
178 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2009] 9 S.C.R. ·

A Further indisputably, the manner and method of disposal
of the dead body of the deceased was abhorrent and goes a
long way in making the present case a most foul and
despicable case of murder. However, we are of the opinion;
that the mere mode. of disposal of a dead body may not by itself
B be made the ground for inclusion of a case iil the 'rarest of
1

rare" category for the purpose of imposition of the death
sentence.

-. ; ,It .may have to be considered with several other factors.
Jhis ..Cqurt has dealt with the issue in Ravindra Trfmbak
.c <::;houthrnal V._i$tate of Maharashtra [(1996) 4 sec
148]. In this
Qase:9f dowry, death, the head of the deceased was severed
~ng 0 her Q9dY: cut into nine pieces for disposal. This court
h9weyer0!~xpress~d ,do_l:!bts over the efficacy of the. deterrent
effeci of.capi!al pun!shr:n~nJ,and commuted the death sentehce
~ toLqne•of RI. Jor,)!fe .impri.!?Pnrn~flt.

002fft;lE(tissu~ ofdeterrence has a,lsobeen discussed in the
~~~i,QrS.wamy Shra.ddanan(:Ja ~I (supra), thus:

~~;~iiJ6~]r~.rlbt~~9rt~y ·tci rn·eih~i9n h~re the Law·commission
:t •1 ~ "){t ;}~~~1rtk.f 1,~6?.to~k tne· vie"."_that capital 'punishmertt
-#

~;orl '5~~'1iJ .fe~o~~~~'*P,g~-~!, t? p[if11e. ·:While it c~n9eqed tf?_~t
s 0 vi~?1s~cs..p1ff. r,qt Pfpv~ ffJe.~e $q~cal/ed deterr;,ent .ef'(.eqt~·
n~ 1- ~u/0f~1~
, J1 • 1 r'~~ld
c!nJ
...,
t11M~iau~~$J did' nor disprove them 'either." · -
\lu nwoo !51s1 e1qiorn ! · · · " · · ·~

:f be1ebiano~ ed of <;srl e2s::> iios9 ;, ' : [Emphasis ·supplied]
Most research on this issue shows that the relationship
S~tw@efWtf~l@R®e@ §fi8£%iOOerlf91?ir- ~rslt¥m@flt is ·complicated. -
IPfr& fi0?&b\t18~s)Jhgw· Mef:e\~en~e."'~'Mes'lf'Cf''severity and
_? eeft~frt\Y?::i~Hrtfl~Alt:>f@ ~irHififilvp-bn(ij1%UsP~lffVicfo'nce-1ed.
c.r f~tnt!ti.tAaA Ba"S%8 8n'1fit'MtfltidS?WlileR f?fstelcltrc'.\¥€itd1:1f\'cflfl!lew6r1d ·
R:!fs>r!ifi~wfii~ifu '<blft@~ f01£b@<wro~.i fll ~esaeserr&!n~0any,
sir@im&tRt1%Wlifr?i~~1.. t'~n.~116~2r& \!ffi~ ~s~.1§f:lSJ!j'.f 81;M1c:ffiffi.t
tel.

oohirnaiS~i~~ w~%a~ncenq}S'saftt&t~fig.ev@~1tY 1Wpeh~hffi~t1
·1;1 ~Mr~~ R,ri f6 e~r:ren &--el~@9cf~'l :ffflffnPWlifePF'j ~sftti §~J'illfeJ
.•
Pi .92SJ '(19V9 ni 2s0nsl2rnu:J1b gnitsgitim erlt oi nevig sd taum
SANTOSH KUMAR SATISHBHUSHAN BARIYAR v. 179
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA [S.S. SINHA, J.]
restriction of the most fundamental human right through the A
imposition of the death penalty. The goal of crime reduction can
be achieved by better police and prosecution service to the
same or at least to a great extent than by the imposition of the
death penalty.
B
In this respect, we may furthermore add here that in the
most recent survey of research findings on the relation between
1 the death penalty and homicide rates, conducted for the United
Nations in 1988 and updated in 2002, it was stated:

"... it is not prudent to accept the hypothesis that capital c
punishment deters murder to a marginally greater extent
than does the threat and application of the supposedly
lesser punishment of life imprisonment."

[See Roger Hood, The Death Penalty: A World-wide D
Perspective, Oxford, Clarendon Press, third edition, 2002,
p. 230]

[See also Kennedy v. Lousiana (128 S. Ct. 2641)]

MITIGATING CIRCUMSTANCES E

32. Determination, as to what would be the rarest of rare
cases, is a difficult task having regard to different legal
•\
principle~ involved in respect thereof. With the aforementioned
backdrop, we may notice the circumstances which, in our
F
opinion, should weigh with us for not imposing the extreme
penalty.

The entire prosecution case hinges on the evidence of the
approver. For the purpose of imposing death penalty, that factor
may have to be kept in mind. We will assume that in Swamy G'
Shraddananda (supra), this Court did not lay down a firm law
that in a case involving circumstantial evidence, imposition of
death penalty would not be permissible. But, even in relation
thereto the question which would arise would be whether in
arriving at a conclusion some surmises, some hypothesis would H
180 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2009] 9 S.C.R.

A be necessary in regard to the manner in which the offence was
committed as contra-distinguished from a case where the
manner of occurrence had no role to play. Even where sentence
of death is to be imposed on the basis of the circumstantial
evidenee, the circumstantial evidence must be such which leads
B to an exceptional case. We must, however, add that in a case
of this nature...where the entire prosecution case revolves round
the statement of an approver or dependant upon the
circumstantial evidence, the prudence doctrine should be
invoked. For the aforementioned purpose, at the stage of
c sentencing evaluation of evidence would not be permissible,
the courts not only have to solely depend upon the findings
arrived at for the purpose of recording a judgment of conviction,
but also consider the matter keeping in view of evidences which
have been brought on record on behalf of the parties and in
particular the accused for imposition of a lesser punishment.
0
A statement of approver in regard to the manner in which crime
has been committed vis-a-vis the role played by the accused;
on the one hand, and that of the approver, on the other, must
be tested on the touchstone of the prudence doctrine

E The accused persons were not criminals. They were
friends. The deceased was said to have been selected
because his father was rich. The motive, if any, was to collect
some money. They were not professional killers. They have no 1-
criminal history. All were unemployed and were searching for
F jobs. ·

Further if age of the accused was a relevant factor for the
High Court for not imposing death penalty on accused No. 2
and 3, the same standard should have been applied to the case
G of the appellant also who was only two years older and still a
young man in age. Accused Nos. 2 and 3 were as much a part
of the crime as the appellant. Though it is true, that it was he
who allegedly proposed the idea of kidnapping, but at the same
time if must not be forgotten that the said plan was only
executed when all the persons involved gave their consent
H
SANTOSH KUMAR SATISHBHUSHAN BARIYAR v. 181
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA [S.B. SINHA, J.]
thereto. A

It must be noted that the discr~tion given to the court in
such cases assumes onerous importance and its exercise
becomes extremely difficult because of the irrevocable
character of death penalty. One of the principles which we think B
is clear is that the case is such where two views ordinarily could
be taken, imposition of death sentence would not be
appropriate, but where there is no other option and it is shown
that reformation is not possible, death sentence may be
imposed.
c
Section 354(3) of the Code of Criminal Procedure requires
that when the conviction is for an offence punishable with death ·
or in the alternative with imprisonment for life or imprisonment
for a term of years, the judgment shall state the reasons for the
sentence awarded, and in the case of sentence of death, the D ·
special reasons thereof.

33. We do not think that the reasons assigned by the courts
below disclose any special reason to uphold the death penalty.
The discretion granted to the courts must be exercised very
E
cautiously especially because of the irrevocable character to
death penalty. Requirements of law. to assign special reasons
should not be construed to be an empty formality.

34. We have previously noted that the judicial principles
for imposition of death penalty are far from being uniform. F
Without going into the merits and demerits of such discretion
and subjectivity, we must nevertheless reiterate the basic
principle, stated repeatedly by this Court, that life imprisonment
is the rule and death penalty an exception. Each case must
therefore be analyzed and the appropriateness of punishment G
determined on a case-by-case basis with death sentence not
to be awarded save in the 'rarest of rare' case where reform is
not possible. Keeping in mind at least this principle we do not
think that any of the factors in the present case discussed
above warrants the award of the death penalty. There are no H
182 SUPREME COURT REPORTS (2009] 9 S.C.R.

A special reasons to record the death penalty and the mitigating
factors in the present case, discussed previously, are, in our
opinion, sufficient to place it out of the "rarest of rare" category.

35. For the reasons aforementioned, we are of the opinion
'B that this is not a case where death penalty should be imposed.
The appellant: therefore, instead of being awarded death
penalty, is sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment for life. r
Subject to the modification in the' sentence of appellant (A 1)
mentioned hereinbefore, both the appeals of the appellant as
C . also that of the State are dismissed.

G.N. Appeals dismissed.