Supreme Court cancels murder convict's sentence suspension, orders surrender

The core issue is whether the High Court erred in suspending the sentences of the convicted accused merely because their appeals were unlikely to be heard soon.

Who it concerns: Petitioner/Appellant: Hanuman Prasad @ Hanuta Ram (father of the deceased). Respondents: State of Rajasthan & Ors. (including accused A1 through A12). Bench: Justices J. B. Pardiwala and K. Vinod Chandran.

What the court decided

• Cancelled the suspension of sentence granted by the High Court to accused A1.
• Ordered A1 to surrender before the Trial Court within two weeks from the date of the order.
• Directed that proceedings to apprehend A1 be taken if he fails to surrender.
• Upheld the suspension of sentence for the other accused/respondents.
• Partly allowed the appeals.
• Rejected any pending applications.

Also in the document

• The Court stated that the pendency of appeals cannot be a reason to suspend sentences for heinous offences, especially when the accused have not undergone significant incarceration.
• The Court noted that A1 had been imprisoned for four months and eighteen days and had been on bail throughout the period.
• The Court clarified that its observations on A1's guilt are prima facie and will not regulate the consideration of the appeal.
• The order was dated October 27, 2026.