INDIA: HC UPHOLDS DEATH SENTENCE FOR MAHENDRA

January 30, 2012: In India, the Gauhati high court upheld its previous order of a death sentence for murder convict Mahendra Das, after keeping the verdict reserved for a week, and dismissed his plea to convert the death sentence to life imprisonment.
However, Mahendra is going to move the Supreme Court once again in the case.
Last Monday, the high court concluded the hearing in the case and reserved the verdict. Mahendra in his writ petition prayed to the high court to convert his death sentence into lifetime imprisonment since he has already spent about 14 years in jail awaiting the disposal of his petition seeking clemency.
On April 24, 1996, Mahendra Das beheaded Harakanta Das in Fancy Bazar area of the city and surrendered to the police with the victim's head. He has been in jail since 1997. The sessions court later ordered his execution in 1998. (Sources: The Times of India, 31/01/2012)