The Kerala High Court gave the death sentence of a man convicted for the murder of his lover's 4-year-old child which reduced it to life imprisonment in a ruling. The case has involved the brutal killing of a minor by a man accused of murder and has plunged into debates on how capital punishment can be applied in IndiaBackground of the Case: The man, who was then in a relationship with the victim's mother, is convicted of killing the 4-year-old boy. According to prosecution, the man had murdered the child out of frustration over his girlfriend's attachment to her child, whom he perceived as an obstacle in their future together. The crime was brutal: He strangled the child and dumped him into a well. The trial court had awarded the death penalty, calling the crime one of the 'rarest of the rare' under Indian law that sanctions the award of the capital punishment. High Court Issues its Order On appeal, the Kerala High Court deemed the crime circumstances, the mental state of the convicted, and the jurisprudential and general principles governing capital punishment. While it upheld the verdict, as it accepted the brutal nature of the offense as well, it deliberated on proportionality. The court opined that the 'rarest of the rare' doctrine requires that death sentences be meted out only in those cases where there is no possibility of reform for the convict and the crime so vile that life imprisonment would not serve the purpose. In this case, the court discovered many extenuating circumstances, that is, the convict's young age and potential for rehabilitation; thus, the sentence itself became questionable. Judgment: Having concluded a detailed assessment, coming to the relevant conclusion, the Kerala High Court observed the subsequent conclusion that life imprisonment would be more suitable as the punishment. The court commuted the death sentence to life imprisonment, and the result was that the convict would remain imprisoned for the rest of his natural life, without any chance of parole. This, in his view, would balance the deliverance of justice for the crime with the principles of humanity envisaged in the Indian Constitution. Implications: This judgement speaks to the debate in India regarding the death penalty and its meted out in the crimes against the minors. Many are vocal for providing stringent punishments, while the judiciary is still scathing with double-edged swords: it will weigh reform and balance with the act of punishment in proportion..