The Supreme Court has temporarily halted the execution of Muhammed Ameer-Ul Islam, a migrant laborer from Assam, who was sentenced to death for the rape and murder of a law student in Perumbavoor, Kerala, on April 28, 2016.

According to the prosecution, under the influence of alcohol, the accused forcibly entered the victim’s home and committed the crimes. The victim, aged 30 and from a scheduled caste background, had been abandoned by her father in childhood. The trial court in December 2017 sentenced Islam to death, citing the extreme brutality and denoted crime as “rarest of the rare” crime. In May this year, the Kerala High Court division bench upheld the death penalty, emphasizing the heinous nature of the offense and its impact on societal security and women’s safety.

Responding to the convict’s appeal against the High Court’s decision, a bench of Justices BR Gavai, Sanjay Karol, and KV Viswanathan has requested a report detailing any mitigating circumstances and a psychological evaluation of Islam.

“The execution of the death sentence shall remain stayed pending the hearing and final disposal of the present appeal,” the Court ordered.

Case: MUHAMMED AMEER-UL-ISLAM vs STATE OF KERALA | SPECIAL LEAVE PETITION (CRIMINAL) Diary No(s). 30957/2024