Convicts on a death row seek clemency

A division bench of Justices V M Kanade and P D Kode was hearing the death penalty confirmation of the two -- Purushottam Borade and Pradeep Kokade -- convicted for raping and murdering the victim in Pune in 2007.

Seeking leniency for the duo, their lawyer said the accused had no prior criminal records and hence should be given a chance for reform and rehabilitation.

Public prosecutor Revati Dhere, however, said the accused had planned the abduction, rape and murder of the victim.

The high court observed that in case of death penalties, it is required to see if there is any hope to reform the accused.

"Something positive should come on record to show that hope of reformation is not lost. Life is paramount... No doubt about it. But court needs to see the circumstances in which the incident occurred. Whether the murder happened at the spur of the moment or it was premeditated," Justice Kode said.

According to the prosecution, the accused had on November 1, 2007 picked up the victim, who was on her way to work for night shift, in the company car. The duo took the victim to an isolated spot and raped her.

They then strangulated her with her dupatta, slit her wrist and disfigured her face with a sharp weapon to hide her identity.

The victim's body was discovered by a farmer the following morning and the two accused were later nabbed.

The two were convicted for criminal conspiracy, murder, rape and kidnapping and awarded death penalty by a Sessions Court in Pune which observed that the impact of the crime on the community, particularly women working the 'graveyard shifts', brings the case within the rarest of rare case which merits death penalty.