Indian High Courts issue rulings in separate criminal cases

The Kerala High Court has upheld a 10-year rigorous imprisonment sentence for a 61-year-old man convicted of raping a 73-year-old woman. The convict had allegedly targeted the victim under the pretext of removing evil spirits from her body. While the defense argued that discrepancies in the date of the incident and a delay in filing the FIR undermined the case, Justice A. Badharudeen ruled that the victim's testimony remained reliable and the date error was a non-material mistake corrected shortly after.

In a separate matter, the Karnataka High Court quashed an order that had rejected a parole extension for a murder convict who has been incarcerated for over 18 years. Justice M. G. S. Kamal ruled that the authorities must reconsider the application for a 30-day extension, noting that the previous rejection lacked sufficient reasoning. The court found that the petitioner had complied with all procedural requirements and timelines set by the Karnataka Prisons and Correctional Service Manual.