Supreme Court Upholds Sentences of Convicts in 1983 Bihar Murder Case

New Delhi, 25 July 2024 – The Supreme Court of India on Thursday upheld the sentences of the convicts in the 1983 murder case of five people in Siwan district of Bihar. The top court also accepted the decision of the Patna High Court, which had commuted the death sentences of the convicts to life imprisonment. While hearing the case, the Supreme Court stated that no errors were found in the decisions of the lower court and the high court. The incident began in 1983 in a village in Siwan district of Bihar, where five people were murdered due to caste tensions. The police later arrested several accused in the case, many of whom were sentenced to death by the lower court. However, the high court had commuted these sentences to life imprisonment. Now, the Supreme Court has upheld the high court's decision, confirming the sentences of the convicts. The court stated in its decision that the evidence clearly shows that the accused had committed the murders intentionally. However, the court deemed life imprisonment to be appropriate instead of the death penalty, as the case is quite old and the accused have already spent a long time in jail. This decision will bring some relief to the families of the victims, but they are still demanding full justice. In this case, a total of 12 accused were arrested, out of which seven had already been acquitted. Of the remaining five accused, four were sentenced to life imprisonment by the high court, while one accused was absconding. Now, after the Supreme Court's decision, these four accused will have to spend a long time in jail.