Karnataka High Court rejects rapist's plea for commutation of death sentence

Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday refused to commute the death sentence awarded to the notorious rapist and serial killer, Umesh Reddy. A bench of Justice Pradeep Singh Yerur and Justice Aravind Kumar delivered the verdict, rejecting his mercy petition.

The advocate, B N Jagadish, representing Umesh Reddy, filed a petition urging the court to commute his death sentence to life imprisonment. The petitioner contended that he had developed a mental illness due to 10 years of solitary confinement and that the delay of 27 months caused in replying to his mercy petition by the President of India had caused mental agony. However, the court did not find any merit in the arguments presented and rejected the petition.

In connection with the murder of a Bengaluru woman, Umesh Reddy was first arrested in March 1998. He was sentenced to death for the rape and murder of Jayashree in 2006 by a division bench of the Karnataka High court. The Supreme Court also upheld the high court's decision in 2011.

Umesh Reddy's lawyer submitted several mercy petitions to the Governor of Karnataka as well as the President of India. But all his petitions were rejected.

The serial killer is believed to have murdered several women after raping them. He would then decamp with their valuables. Currently, Umesh Reddy is lodged in Belagavi's Hindalga jail.