Supreme Court Suspends Sentence of Catholic Priest Convicted of Raping Minor | Fr. Edwin Pigarez скачать в хорошем качестве

Supreme Court Suspends Sentence of Catholic Priest Convicted of Raping Minor | Fr. Edwin Pigarez

The Supreme Court has suspended the sentence of Father Edwin Pigarez, a Roman Catholic priest convicted of repeatedly raping a minor parishioner in Ernakulam. A Bench of Chief Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran noted that Pigarez has already spent nearly a decade in jail.Earlier, the trial court had sentenced him to imprisonment for the remainder of his natural life. In 2024, the Kerala High Court upheld his conviction but reduced the punishment to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment without remission, applying the principle of proportionality in sentencing. While hearing his appeal, the Supreme Court observed that Pigarez has already undergone almost half of his sentence. Taking this into account, the Court suspended his sentence and granted him bail, pending disposal of the appeal. 📌 Case Title: Fr. Edwin Pigarez v. State of Kerala & Anr #SupremeCourt #KeralaHighCourt #FatherEdwinPigarez #POCSO #IndianLaw