- Home/
- Soumya Rape And Murder Case: Kerala's Appeal For Death Penalty To Convict Rejected By Supreme Court
Soumya Rape And Murder Case: Kerala's Appeal For Death Penalty To Convict Rejected By Supreme Court
NDTV News Desk | Updated: April 28, 2017 17:48 IST
Soumya was returning home by train when she was attacked and raped by a serial offender in Kerala.
New Delhi: A convict who raped a young woman on a rail track in 2011 after allegedly throwing her off a moving train in Kerala will not be given the death penalty. The Supreme Court today rejected the Kerala government's curative petition for reviewing its earlier order of giving the convict Govindachamy a life sentence. The Supreme Court had already dismissed the Kerala government's review petition; the curative petition was the state government's last legal option.
In September last year, the Supreme Court had reduced Govindachamy's sentence to 14 years in jail, saying there was not enough evidence that 23-year-old Soumya had been murdered or pushed off the train.
However, the doctor who had examined Soumya's wounded body has said that there was no doubt her death was murder, not an accident. "The victim was in no condition to even escape or react after six severe head injuries were inflicted on her," Shirley Vasu had told NDTV.
Soumya, who worked at a mall in Ernakulam, was returning home by train when she was attacked and robbed by Govindachamy, a serial offender. The prosecution told the court that he pushed her when she struggled.
Govindachamy also jumped off the train after her, hit her with a stone and raped her. Soumya died five days later.
In September last year, the Supreme Court had reduced Govindachamy's sentence to 14 years in jail, saying there was not enough evidence that 23-year-old Soumya had been murdered or pushed off the train.
However, the doctor who had examined Soumya's wounded body has said that there was no doubt her death was murder, not an accident. "The victim was in no condition to even escape or react after six severe head injuries were inflicted on her," Shirley Vasu had told NDTV.
Soumya, who worked at a mall in Ernakulam, was returning home by train when she was attacked and robbed by Govindachamy, a serial offender. The prosecution told the court that he pushed her when she struggled.
Govindachamy also jumped off the train after her, hit her with a stone and raped her. Soumya died five days later.
Published: April 28, 2017 16:55 IST
NDTV in partnership with UBER is launching a sustained campaign 'Roshan Dilli' to try and raise safety standards in India's capital, New Delhi.
Our focus is to try and improve lighting in public spaces in the city. Lighting is a key factor in shaping women's perceptions of safety
The initiative will provide a platform for all stakeholders to discuss our goal of improving safety standards, to start a conversation about safety of women in the country
It will also highlight various interventions and solutions that help to make women safe and put the spotlight on what more can be done.
The campaign will accentuate the need for Safety to be a shared responsibility
The need for gender sensitization and how law enforcement and civil society through checks and education can try and make women safer
We hope you will join us and help make New Delhi a safer city for women.
Comments