Supreme Court of India · 1983-04-07
MITHU, ETC., ETC., vs STATE OF PUNJAB ETC. ETC.
- Citation / case number
- SC 1980/63280
- Court
- Supreme Court of India
- Petitioner
- MITHU, ETC., ETC.,
- Respondent
- STATE OF PUNJAB ETC. ETC.
- Bench
- CHANDRACHUD, Y.V. ((CJ),FAZALALI, SYED MURTAZA,TULZAPURKAR, V.D.,REDDY, O. CHINNAPPA ,VARADARAJAN, A.
Judgment text excerpt
The Supreme Court declared Section 303 of the Indian Penal Code unconstitutional, holding it violates Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution. The Court reasoned that there is no rational basis for differentiating between murders committed by life convicts and those committed by others, as the motives for murder are varied and do not depend on the offender's imprisonment status. The mandatory death sentence prescribed by Section 303 IPC was found to be arbitrary and unjust, leading to its invalidation.