HC commutes death sentence of rape-murder convict into life

The Punjab and Haryana High Court today converted the death sentence of a rape and murder convict into life imprisonment.
Dharampal, resident of Sonepat district, was to be executed on April 15, 2014 inside Ambala jail but his hanging was stayed on April 10 by the High Court after hearing a petition moved by him.
The convict had taken the plea that he has earned a right to get the sentence converted into life imprisonment, due to delay in execution of death penalty.
He had also taken the plea of the Supreme Court verdict, passed in January 2014 by a full bench, headed by then Chief Justice P Sathasivam, in which the apex court had held that death sentence of a condemned prisoner can be commuted to life imprisonment on the ground of delay on the part of the government in deciding the mercy pleas.

In 1991,Dharampal was sentenced to 10-year imprisonment for raping a girl in Sonepat.
After his release on parole in 1993, Dharampal had murdered the five family members of the girl, when they were sleeping at their house.

He was sentenced to death by Session's court in May 1997, which was retained by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on September 29,1998.
His death sentence was also upheld by the apex court in 1999.
His mercy petition was rejected by the union home minister in 2000. Later, Dharampal filed a mercy plea to the President in 2005 which was rejected after about eight years, in 2013.

He is presently lodged in central jail Ambala.