The Delhi High Court recently commuted a life sentence to eight years’ imprisonment for a man initially convicted of murder, modifying the conviction to culpable homicide instead. The case involved the death of Mohd Mumtaz, a mechanic in Ajeet Nagar, Seelampur, Delhi, following a shooting incident in December 2014. An FIR for the incident was registered on December 16, 2014, and the appellant, identified as Rahul, was subsequently arrested on December 21, 2014.

Rahul had been found guilty of murder, attempted murder, and violations of the Arms Act by the Karkardooma Court in July 2022, with sentencing issued on September 2, 2022. Following this conviction, Rahul filed an appeal, challenging both the guilty verdict and the sentence. After reviewing the appeal, a division bench led by Justices Prathiba M. Singh and Amit Sharma reevaluated the evidence and decided to commute his life sentence, reducing it to eight years of rigorous imprisonment.