Guwahati: The Supreme Court has issued notices to the respondents on a Special Leave Petition (SLP) filed by the Assam government challenging the Gauhati High Court verdict in the Deben Dutta murder case.
The apex court has also condoned the delay in filing the petition, allowing the state’s challenge to proceed. The respondents have been given four weeks to file their replies.
The Assam government approached the Supreme Court against the Gauhati High Court judgment delivered on July 30, 2025.
In its verdict, the High Court had altered the conviction from murder under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) to culpable homicide not amounting to murder under Section 304 Part II. It had also reduced the punishment from death to life imprisonment.
The state has challenged these findings before the Supreme Court, arguing that the circumstances surrounding Dutta’s death indicated a deliberate and coordinated assault rather than an accidental incident.
A team of lawyers led by Senior Additional Advocate General Chinmoy Sharma appeared for the Assam government before the apex court.
In its SLP, the state maintained that the incident should not be treated as a sudden or accidental occurrence and sought the Supreme Court’s intervention against the High Court’s findings.
Deben Dutta, a retired medical professional, had volunteered to work at the hospital of the Teok Tea Estate in Jorhat. He was brutally attacked by plantation workers in August 2019, and his death triggered widespread concern and protests across Assam.
With notices issued, the respondents will have four weeks to submit their replies. The matter is expected to proceed to the next stage of hearing after the responses are filed.