CHENNAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has commuted the death sentence of a man convicted of repeatedly raping his minor daughter and causing her pregnancy, sentencing him instead to imprisonment for the remainder of his natural life.
A division bench of Justices N Anand Venkatesh and KK Ramakrishnan passed the order, according to Bar and Bench.
The court observed that “life imprisonment until death is a more enduring retributive measure than the finality of the gallows,” adding that such a sentence would force the convict into a “lifelong dialogue with his own conscience.”
It also noted that the convict, Murugan, shall not be eligible for premature release, remission or further commutation.
The court had upheld the conviction under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and sentenced him to death on January 5, 2026.
Murugan was the sole accused in the case of repeated aggravated penetrative sexual assault on his 14-year-old daughter.
The victim said that she was subjected to sexual assault on more than 20 occasions.
The abuse came to light when the victim's mother noticed changes and took her for medical evaluation on February 5, 2025. Upon the medical examination, it was found that she was approximately 5 months pregnant.
DNA analysis later conclusively established Murugan as the biological father of the fetus.