Today, On 21st April, The Supreme Court slammed the Delhi government over delays in releasing eligible prisoners, calling it a “sorry state of affairs.” Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan also criticised the Sentence Review Board for wrongly rejecting release applications.
New Delhi: Describing the situation as a “sorry state of affairs,” the Supreme Court on Monday criticized the Delhi government for its delays in the premature release of prisoners.
A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan also slammed the Sentence Review Board (SRB) for turning down requests for premature release.
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The bench remarked,
“Sorry state of affairs prevails in the manner in which the Delhi government is dealing with the issue of premature release of prisoners. There is much to be said about it,”
The Supreme Court noted that despite assurances from the Delhi government, no action had been taken and called for a more thorough investigation into how the issue of premature release was being managed.
Previously, the Court had condemned the Delhi government for its delay in addressing remission pleas filed by 114 convicts, including a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist convicted of conspiring to wage war against the country and sentenced to life imprisonment.
The Court had also criticized states for habitually rejecting remission pleas from life convicts who have served over 14 years in prison.
The matter was originally brought to the Court’s attention through a batch of petitions challenging the denial of premature release to convicts who had served the required number of years under the rules.
The petitioners pointed out that, in several cases, there was no adverse conduct report or other legal basis for denial, yet the SRB had turned down their applications.
The Supreme Court also raised concerns about systemic delays in reviewing such cases, directing the Delhi government to take immediate corrective action. The bench emphasized the constitutional right to life and liberty under Article 21 and said the delay in reviewing or processing such applications infringed upon the rights of prisoners.