High Court Advocates Reform Over Retribution: Death Sentence Commuted

The Calcutta High Court has commuted the death sentence of Aftab Alam to life imprisonment following his conviction for the murder of his maternal uncle.

Justice Sabyasachi Bhattacharyya, while passing the judgment, underscored the shift from retributive to reformative justice systems. He emphasized that reformation, rather than retribution, is becoming a more significant aspect of modern criminal jurisprudence, with a recognition that the death penalty's irreversibility poses significant ethical concerns.

Highlighting a growing global debate, Justice Bhattacharyya pointed out that life imprisonment serves as an adequate deterrent and allows for the possibility of reformation. The commutation decision was influenced by Alam's young age and the absence of evidence indicating beyond-doubt irreformability.

(With inputs from agencies.)