The Supreme Court on Tuesday commuted the death sentence of a man held guilty of committing rape of a five-year-old girl and then killing her in 2015 in the Satna district of Madhya Pradesh. The apex court has sentenced the man to 25 years in jail without remission.

Earlier, the trial court had sentenced Sachin Kumar Singhraha to death, which was upheld by the Madhya Pradesh High Court. Challenging the orders, counsel for the Singhraha had contended that he was sentenced on the basis of circumstantial evidence and the police had failed to establish his guilt beyond doubt. He said the lower courts had not followed SC framed guidelines while awarding the death penalty.

In 2016, a bench headed by then CJI T S Thakur had stayed the death sentence.

—India Legal Bureau