INDIA: CALCUTTA HC COMMUTES DEATH SENTENCE OF SEVEN FOR WITCH-HUNTING 3 WOMEN

October 9, 2018:

The Calcutta High Court has commuted to life the death sentence of seven men guilty of killing three women believing them to be witches, livelaw.in reported on 7 October 2018.
The Court noted that when motive of crime is engrained in psyche, judicial execution does not help and that cases like this reflected upon the failure of the state to perform its constitutional duty of spreading universal education to the darkest corner.
The decision was taken by a bench of Justice Joymala Bagchi and Justice Moushumi Bhattacharya, which also directed the state government to implement guidelines issued by the court in the year 2016 to check the crime of witch-hunting by mounting effect surveillance, compensation to victims etc.
In the part of the judgment penned by Justice Joymala Bagchi, he commuted to life the death sentence awarded to Sani Mandi, Bhaku Singh, Rabin Singh, Mangal Singh, Nura Singh, Somai alias Samai Mandi and Kali Singh while upholding the life term awarded to four others.