EDIGA ANAMMA vs STATE OF ANDHRA PRADESH

The Supreme Court held that the death sentence awarded to the appellant for the premeditated murder of another woman and her child must be substituted with a life sentence. The Court emphasized that modern penology favors life imprisonment as the rule, with capital punishment being the exception, as reflected in the Criminal Procedure Bill, 1973, which allows for a post-conviction hearing on sentencing. The Court considered the appellant's youth, personal circumstances, and the prolonged duration of the appeal process as mitigating factors warranting a lesser sentence under Section 367(5) of the Code of Criminal Procedure.