India
Supreme Court Rules Life Sentences Must Be Superimposed, Not Consecutive
The Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that courts cannot order multiple life sentences for different offences to run consecutively. The bench, composed of Justices KV Viswanathan and Arun Palli, set aside a direction that required a man convicted of rape and murder of a 12‑year‑old girl to serve two life sentences consecutively. The court said that while multiple life sentences can be awarded for separate offences, they must be superimposed over each other. This means that remission or commutation granted for one sentence does not automatically apply to the other.
The decision came in the appeal of Raju Shantaram Koli, who was convicted in 2013 by a Thane sessions court for the 2010 rape and murder of a 12‑year‑old girl. He received a life sentence for murder under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code and another life term for rape under Section 376. The trial court had directed the sentences to run consecutively, a direction upheld by the Bombay High Court in 2016.
Justice Viswanathan noted that the legal position on consecutive life sentences had been settled by a 2016 Constitution bench in Muthuramalingam v. State. That bench held that life imprisonment normally extends for the remainder of the convict’s natural life unless commuted or remitted, and that requiring two consecutive life sentences would be anomalous because a person has only one life. The bench clarified that awarding multiple life sentences is permissible, but directing them to run consecutively is not.
Applying that principle, the Supreme Court partly allowed Koli’s appeal and struck down the direction that the two life sentences should run one after the other. The court maintained the rest of the trial court’s conviction and sentencing order, including the fines imposed. It specifically directed that the life sentence for murder and the life sentence for rape and wrongful confinement be superimposed, so that remission or commutation of one would not automatically reduce the other.
Frequently asked questions
What did the Supreme Court rule about multiple life sentences?
The Supreme Court ruled that multiple life sentences must be superimposed over each other, not run consecutively.
Who was the appellant in the case?
The appellant was Raju Shantaram Koli, convicted of rape and murder of a 12‑year‑old girl.
What was the outcome for Koli's appeal?
The Supreme Court struck down the direction to run the life sentences consecutively, allowing the appeal partially and keeping the conviction and fines.