The Bombay High Court has sought a fresh psychiatric and psychological report; and Probation Welfare Officer’s report of a death row convict, sentenced for murdering and eviscerating his mother in an inebriated state with cannibalistic intention in Kolhapur in 2017.
The reports were called for by a bench of Justices Revati Mohite-Dere and Shyam Chandak while hearing a plea filed by the State seeking confirmation of the death sentence of Sunil Kuchkoravi. The sessions court in Kolhapur had sentenced Kuchkoravi to death in 2021. He has also challenged his sentence.
On August 28, 2017, at around 2pm, Kuchkoravi murdered his 63-year-old mother, Yallama Rama Kuchkoravi, at Makadwala Vasahat in Kolhapur city. He later desecrated the body and ate some organs after frying them in a pan.
Kuchkoravi’s advocates Yug Chaudhry and Payoshi Roy pointed out a Supreme Court judgment which directed that the state must collect information pertaining to the accused such as his early family background, current family background, education, socio-economic background, criminal antecedents and history of unstable social behaviour, or mental or psychological ailment(s), alienation of the individual.
Chaurdhry said that in this case too, Kuchkoravi should be given an opportunity to establish mitigating circumstances and hence, fresh reports should be called for.
Agreeing, the court asked the prosecution to submit a report by the jail authorities. “The report of jail authorities must also include a fresh psychiatric and psychological report as well as a Probation Welfare Officer’s report,” a bench of Justices Revati Mohite-Dere and Shyam Chandak said on June 19.
The court has also asked the Jail Superintendent to also submit his report with respect to Kuchkoravi’s jail conduct and behaviour, work done (if any) and activities he has involved himself in. “This is to get a more exact and complete understanding of the contemporaneous progress made by the accused. This would show if there is any reformative progress and reveal any post-conviction mental illness,” the bench said citing the apex court judgement.
The reports have to be submitted by the next date of hearing on July 10.
