Law student's murder: HC commutes life term to 10 years in jail

The High Court of Karnataka on Tuesday modified the life sentence awarded by the lower court to two persons convicted of killing of Alyosha Kumar, a final-year student  at National Law School of India University (NLSIU) in 2007.

A division bench of Justices Ravi Malimath and John Michael Cunha modified the sentence of Sreenivasa and Kallesh Gowda under Section 304 of the Indian Penal Code (Punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder) to 10 years of jail term.

Sreenivasa and Kallesh Gowda, who  were returning home on a scooter after visiting their friend at a hospital, noticed two groups quarrelling near the Kalavati Kalyana Mantap. They intervened and tried to settle the quarrel. But some NLSUI students who were involved in the quarrel allegedly punched them.

An enraged Sreenivasa, who was carrying a knife, allegedly stabbed Alyosha in self-defence.

When Alyosha collapsed, Kallesh Gowda reportedly grabbed the knife from Sreenivasa and stabbed the wounded boy and then passed the knife to another student, Siddarth.

As the two have already served the jail term for 10 years, they will be released from jail.