A Delhi court sentenced Haryana gangster Vikas Gulia and his associate to life imprisonment under MCOCA but refused the death penalty, holding the case does not meet the “rarest of the rare” standard. The court noted the convicts’ reign of terror and multiple serious crimes, while stressing that capital punishment is reserved for exceptionally brutal cases.
The Beed special court has rejected Vishnu Chate’s plea for discharge in the murder of sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh, stating he “appears to have been a member of the organised crime syndicate and was involved in continuing unlawful activities.” Chate had claimed insufficient grounds for charges, but the court found prima facie evidence against him.
The Delhi High Court has requested a response from the Delhi Police regarding former AAP MLA Naresh Balyan’s bail plea related to MCOCA charges. Balyan seeks interim bail due to health issues. The court scheduled the next hearing for July 3 and requested his jail record and medical report for consideration.
The new criminal laws in India, effective from July 1, encompass a wide range of offenses with increased imprisonment durations, newly introduced mandatory punishments, and enhanced fines. These laws leave no discretion to the court and impose fixed periods of imprisonment specified by law for specific offenses, such as buying a child for prostitution and facilitating organized crime.
A public interest litigation has been filed today in the Supreme Court against three newly amended criminal law bills in India. The petitioner seeks the formation of an expert committee to evaluate the legislation’s viability. The proposed bills aim to reform the country’s criminal laws, but the petition highlights various defects and discrepancies.(arguments: 50 words)