The Supreme Court upheld life sentence for two consecutive terms to Swamy Premananda of Tiruchirapally, Tamil Nadu, for raping 13 women and murdering a person in his ashram.
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A Bench comprising Justice B N Agarwal and Justice H K Sema also put the seal of confirmation on the verdict of the Madras high court and a trial court in Tamil Nadu that Swamy Premananda would not get benefit of any remission of sentence announced either by the central and state governments.
"With regard to the gravity of offence and the deleterious effect it had not only on the victims but also on the society at large, the sentence of the trial court as affirmed by the high court that any remission of the sentence announced either by the central or state government would not apply to him (Swamy Premananda)," the Bench said.
"We do not find any infirmity in the order passed by the high court and it does not call for any interference," the Bench said.
Prosecution has alleged that Swamy Premananda, hailing from Sri Lanka, had established an ashram near Tiruchirapally and used to entice the women inmates of the ashram, 13 of whom were raped in 1994.