INDIA: DEATH PENALTY FOR KILLING OF CHILDREN

describing the killing of three innocent children who were asleep as one of the “rarest of rare cases,” the Supreme Court on India confirmed the death sentence imposed on an accused by the trial court and the High Court. Prajeet Kumar Singh, a tenant in the house of his close friend Prakash Kumar, stopped making payments for rent and food after some months. According to the prosecution, on the fateful night in April 1998, Prakash demanded payment of arrears of Rs. 4,000. Later, Prajeet killed Prakash’s children sleeping on the second floor with a dagger like weapon. When the parents went upstairs on hearing the noise, the accused attacked them also. A sessions court in Bihar awarded Prajeet death sentence and the Patna High Court confirmed it. Justices P.P. Naolekar and L.S. Panta dismissed his appeal.