‘Amicable Settlement’ : Supreme Court Reduces Sentence Awarded To Man Convicted U/s 307 IPC For ‘Attempt To Murder’

[14 September 2021]
The Supreme Court reduced the sentence awarded to a man accused of attempt to murder taking note of the amicable settlement between the accused and the victim.The bench of Justices Ajay Rastogi and Abhay S. Oka noted that in earlier judgments, the court has taken note of the compromise between the parties to reduce the sentence of the convicts even in serious non­-compoundable offences. In this case, the Trial Court had convicted the accused under Section 307 Indian Penal Code and directed him to suffer rigorous imprisonment for 10 years and to pay a fine of Rs. 10,000/-. This judgment was upheld the High Court dismissing the appeal. Before the Apex Court, a joint affidavit was filed in which the accused stated that he has apologized for his fault and has taken responsibility for his action and sought forgiveness from the victim. In return, the victim has also voluntarily accepted the apology while considering the age of the appellant at the time of the incident and has forgiven him and has come forward without any reservation to settle the dispute, the court noted.