If the abductor held the victim well, he would not be imprisoned for life

Controversial judgment of the Supreme Court

In 2011, a Telangana auto driver abducted a Std. 6 student and demanded a ransom of Rs 2 lakh.

New Delhi: A kidnapper cannot be sentenced to life imprisonment under Section 364A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) if the abductor has treated the hostage well and has not threatened to kill him.

A bench comprising Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice R Subhash Reddy passed the order in the Telangana auto driver case. The auto driver kidnapped a minor and demanded a ransom of Rs 2 lakh.

Ahmed, a resident of Telangana, had challenged the High Court order in the Supreme Court. The High Court had rejected Ahmed's plea under Section 364A of the IPC and sentenced him to life imprisonment.

An auto driver named Ahmed abducted a Std. 6 student. Police freed the child from the abductors when the child's father went to pay the ransom. The incident took place in 2011 when the child was 13 years old. The child's father told the court that the kidnapper had never threatened to kill the child.