The High Court of Karnataka has commuted the death penalty for Saibanna Ningappa Natikar, who had murdered his second wife and minor daughter in 1994, to life sentence on the grounds that he was kept in solitary confinement for nearly 10 years without the sanction of law, and for inordinate and unexplained delay in the process of consideration of his mercy petition.
Also, the court said, in view of the fact that the petitioner has undergone imprisonment for more than 30 years, ends of justice would be met if the death sentence awarded to the petitioner is commuted to one of life imprisonment, with liberty to move an application for remission.
A Division Bench comprising Justice G. Narendar and Justice C.M. Poonacha delivered the verdict on August 17 while allowing the petition filed by Saibanna way back on January 21, 2013.
