JOIN USThe Supreme Court has dismissed a curative petition filed by the Kerala government challenging dropping of murder charge against convict Govindachamy in the 2011 Soumya rape case.
“Having gone through the curative petitions and the relevant documents, in our considered opinion, no case is made out within the parameters... The curative petitions are, accordingly, dismissed,” a six-judge bench presided over by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Justice J S Khehar said.
The order was passed on Thursday during in-chamber proceedings. Besides Justice Khehar, the bench comprised Justices Dipak Misra, J Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, P C Pant and U Lalit.
The incident took place when Soumya, who was working in a mall in Kochi, was travelling in a ladies coach on the Ernakulam-Shoranur passenger train on February 1, 2011. She was assaulted and pushed off the train by Govindachamy, the prosecution had said. Soumya succumbed to injuries five days later.
In January 2014, the Kerala High Court upheld the death sentence awarded to Govindachamy by a Thrissur fast-track court. In September, the apex court said it was not proved that the convict had thrown the victim out of the running train or inflicted fatal injuries during the assault. It, however, sentenced him to life imprisonment for the offence of rape.
Detained for not depositing Rs 50 lakh
The Supreme Court on Friday ordered the police to detain a man immediately for not depositing Rs 50 lakh that he had promised in a rent dispute, DHNS reports from New Delhi.
"When you have made a statement to the court, you cannot run away. Have you made a statement? The answer is yes. Have you complied with it? The answer is no. We do not need anything more," a bench presided over by Chief Justice J S Khehar said.
The court ordered the police to arrest Surinder Singh Arora and keep him in judicial custody till May 1, the next date of hearing.
The court passed its order after noting that the counsel, representing Arora, had on February 17 stated before it that he was ready and willing to deposit the arrears, which was assessed to be around Rs 50 lakh. He had challenged the Delhi High Court’s January order.
He was then told to deposit the amount, assessed by the high court, with the apex court's registry within eight weeks.