India, Nov. 11 -- The Bombay High Court on Monday upheld the conviction of security guard Sajjad Ahmed Abdul Aziz Mugal alias Pathan for the 2012 murder of 25-year-old lawyer Pallavi Purkayastha, but refused to enhance his sentence to death penalty. The division bench of justices AS Gadkari and Dr Neela Gokhale dismissed the appeals filed by the state government and the victim's father, Atanu Purkayastha, seeking capital punishment for Sajjad, while also rejecting Sajjad's appeal challenging his conviction.

The division bench had reserved the order on August 14.

Sajjad was convicted by the sessions court in Mumbai in 2014 for murder, house trespass, and outraging the modesty of a woman, and sentenced to imprisonment for the remainder of...