Thu Mar 06 14:28:44 UTC 2025: ## Supreme Court Commutes Death Sentence of Bank Manager to Life Imprisonment
**Mangaluru, March 6, 2025** – The Supreme Court of India has commuted the death sentence of Ramesh Naika, 40, a former bank manager, to life imprisonment. Naika was convicted in 2013 for the murders of his two children, sister-in-law, and mother-in-law in 2010.
The apex court, in a judgment delivered by Justices Vikram Nath, Sanjay Karol, and Sandeep Mehta, acknowledged the horrific nature of the crimes but cited Naika’s lack of prior criminal record and generally good relationships with the victims as mitigating factors.
According to the chargesheet, Naika, who worked at the Sholapur branch of Punjab National Bank, murdered his sister-in-law, Savita, and his mother-in-law, Saraswati, in Tumakuru before traveling to Mangaluru and killing his 10-year-old son, Bhuvanraj, and 3-year-old daughter, Krithika. He was arrested following a complaint filed by Sundari’s brother.
The Fifth Additional District and Sessions Judge, Dakshina Kannada, initially sentenced Naika to death in 2013, a decision upheld by the High Court in 2017. However, the Supreme Court, while acknowledging the brutality of the crimes, ultimately decided to commute the sentence to life imprisonment.
Justice Sanjay Karol, in the court’s ruling, emphasized that the commutation did not condone Naika’s actions but considered the mitigating circumstances presented. The court highlighted the senseless loss of life, particularly the tragic deaths of the two children at the hands of their father.
First Piper 