Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Tuesday dismissed a plea filed by Pulsar Suni, the main convict in the 2017 actress abduction and sexual assault case, seeking suspension of his sentence pending the hearing of his appeal.
Rejecting the petition, the court observed that the dignity and rights of the survivor must also be taken into account while considering requests for suspension of sentence in serious criminal cases.
Pulsar Suni was sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment by the trial court after being convicted in the case. While his appeal against the conviction and sentence is pending before the High Court, he had sought suspension of the sentence until the final disposal of the appeal.
Opposing the plea, the survivor’s counsel argued that the offence was extremely grave and suspending the sentence would send a wrong message to society. The prosecution also objected, pointing out that a petition seeking enhancement of the sentence is also pending before the court.
The Kerala government informed the High Court that Pulsar Suni was a repeat offender and had allegedly been involved in another criminal offence shortly after being released on bail in an earlier case.
After considering submissions from all sides, the High Court ruled that there were no sufficient grounds to suspend the sentence and dismissed the petition.
