'Not Rarest of Rare': Calcutta HC Commutes Death Sentence of Man Who Murdered His Ex-GF by Stabbing 45 Times

The Calcutta High Court has commuted the death sentence of Susanta Chowdhury, convicted for murdering his ex-girlfriend by stabbing her 45 times in May 2022, to life imprisonment without remission for 40 years. 

The Division Bench held that though the crime was “heinous and gruesome,” it did not meet the threshold of the “rarest of rare” category required for capital punishment.

Considering his age and potential for reform, the court ruled that life imprisonment would serve justice.

A fine of ₹50,000 (or five years' rigorous imprisonment) was also imposed. (The State of West Bengal v Susanta Chowdhury)