Holding that an unexplained and gross delay of almost eight years in disposal of their mercy petitions is “wholly due to the casual approach’’ of the officers of Maharashtra government, Bombay high court on Tuesday spared two sisters from Kolhapur, Renuka Shinde and Seema Gavit, the noose commuting their death sentence to life imprisonment. The sisters were convicted of kidnapping 13 children and killing five, in 1990-1996, after using them to steal chains. The trial court had in 2001 sentenced them to death, the Bombay high court had confirmed the noose for them in 2004 and the in 2006 the Supreme Court too had upheld the capital punishment for them.

from Times of India https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/two-sisters-on-death-row-spared-the-noose-bombay-hc-commutes-sentence-to-life-imprisonment/articleshow/88972404.cms