India: Madras high court commutes death sentence to life imprisonment

The Madras High Court in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu on October 11, 2026 commuted the death sentence of a defendant convicted of the rape and murder of a nine-year-old girl last May.

Hearing the appeal filed by Kakka, alias Karunas, the High Court acquitted him of charges under the Child Sexual Offences Act (POCSO), but upheld his murder conviction and commuted the death sentence to life imprisonment.

In 2024, when he was 19, Karunas was arrested along with a 56-year-old accomplice (G. Vivekanandan) on charges of kidnapping, sexually abusing, and murdering a nine-year-old Dalit girl in Muthialpet.

The victim's body was found in a drainage ditch near her home, sparking massive protests across the region.

The accomplice subsequently committed suicide in prison before the trial began.

On May 8, 2026, a Fast Track Child Offences Court (POCSO Court) in Puducherry found Karunas guilty of all charges, including murder and gang rape, and sentenced him to death by hanging.