KOLKATA: Calcutta high court on Thursday commuted the death sentence of a 45-year-old man, convicted of murdering a woman and her teenage daughter, to life imprisonment without any remission for 40 years.Dismissing the appeal of Sunil Das alias Hari Baba alias Gurudev, the HC observed that the man posed as guru baba and extorted money from “unsuspecting members of society” on the plea of curing diseases or “bestowing corporeal and incorporeal benefits”. “Society at large requires protection from the appellant for a considerable length of time,” a division bench of Justices Debangsu Basak and Md Shabbar Rashidi said.Noting that he was not beyond reform and his conduct in jail was reported to be good, HC commuted his sentence. However, it ruled that no remission would be allowed.In 2020, Hari Baba promised Milon Mondal that he could conduct yajnas and cure the burn marks sustained by his 17-year-old daughter in 2015. The family paid over Rs 80,000 to Hari Baba for the purpose, as he had been a frequent visitor to Mondal’s house for a year. However, seeing no change in their daughter’s condition, the parents refused to pay the rest of the amount the man had asked for and demanded a refund. On May 17, 2020, the teen and her mother were murdered. Initially, doubts were cast on Milon. However, following investigations, Hari Baba was arrested for the crime four months later.
