Story perspectives

Judge Sentences Three Men to Death for Rape-Murder.

By Drooid · Oct 9, 2026, 10:08 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Judge Variyal Sentences Death

Judge Anand Prakash Variyal sentenced three men to death for raping and killing a police head constable’s wife and daughter.
The court classified the case as “rarest of the rare” and rejected life imprisonment.
Kuldeep Sahu, a habitual offender with 22 cases since 2015, smiled for media after conviction.
Police evidence linked blood and fingerprints on the accused’s clothes to Kuldeep Sahu.

Summary

Counsel Sharma Cites Precedent

Police say the victims were sexually assaulted before being killed in Surajpur on Oct 13, 2024.
The woman had 33 injury marks and her daughter had 28, according to the prosecution.
Counsel Suresh Sharma invoked Supreme Court judgments to argue the death penalty deters similar crimes.
The victim’s elder brother welcomed the verdict, saying he felt justice for his sister and niece.

History

Historical Context

In 1977 a Punjab feud killed 17 people; the Supreme Court’s 1983 Machhi Singh v. Punjab ruling limited death sentences to the “rarest of rare” cases. Judge Anand Prakash Variyal used that test in 2024 to sentence Kuldeep Sahu and two accomplices to death for the Surajpur murders, underscoring the doctrine’s lasting impact on Indian courts.

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Judge Variyal Sentences Death

Judge Anand Prakash Variyal sentenced three men to death for raping and killing a police head constable’s wife and daughter.
The court classified the case as “rarest of the rare” and rejected life imprisonment.
Kuldeep Sahu, a habitual offender with 22 cases since 2015, smiled for media after conviction.
Police evidence linked blood and fingerprints on the accused’s clothes to Kuldeep Sahu.

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