NEW DELHI, Feb 2026 : The Supreme Court has cautioned that courts should avoid undue leniency while sentencing those found guilty in criminal cases [Parameshwari v. State of Tamil Nadu & Ors].
A Bench of Justice Vijay Bishnoi and Justice Rajesh Bindal was dealing with a case where the Madras High Court had reduced a convict’s jail sentence in an attempt-to-murder case, while enhancing the fine payable by him.
The top court set aside the High Court ruling, while making it clear that the payment of compensation cannot be treated like a form of substitute punishment.
“Compensation payable to the victim is only retributory in nature, and it cannot be considered as equivalent to or a substitute for punishment. Punishment is punitive in nature, and its object is to create an adequate deterrence against the said crime and to send a social message to the miscreants that any violation of the moral turpitude of society would come with consequences, which cannot merely be ‘purchased by money,'” it explained.
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