The Supreme Court has expressed strong displeasure with the Odisha government for delaying a decision on the remission plea of Ravindra Pal alias Dara Singh, who is serving a life sentence for the 1999 murder of Australian missionary Graham Stuart Staines and his two sons. The court has directed the state to make a decision by September 17, warning of summoning officials if the delay persists. Singh, incarcerated for over 26 years, seeks premature release based on his time served and a 2022 state policy.
Former Punjab Police DSP Jaspal Singh, a life convict in the 1995 abduction and murder of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, has been reported untraceable at the address provided in his jail records after being released on interim bail in May 2023, sparking a political controversy.
The Supreme Court has waived the remaining life sentence of 105-year-old murder convict Rasik Chandra Mondal, allowing him to live as a free man. The decision was made considering his advanced age and health issues, making his interim bail absolute.
'Dara's case can strengthen the perception among sections of the BJP's traditional support base.'
The Supreme Court on Monday stayed till further orders the premature release of gangster-turned-politician Arun Gawli, who is serving life imprisonment in a murder case.
The Supreme Court has given the Odisha government one month to decide on the remission plea of Ravindra Pal, alias Dara Singh, who is serving a life sentence for the 1999 murders of Australian missionary Graham Stuart Staines and his two minor sons.
The Supreme Court has allowed a plea seeking the premature release of Rohit Chaturvedi, a convict in the 2003 murder case of poet Madhumita Shukla, emphasising reformation over retribution.
The Odisha government has rejected the remission plea of Ravindra Pal alias Dara Singh, who is serving a life sentence for the 1999 murder of Australian missionary Graham Stuart Staines and his two minor sons. The Supreme Court has granted Singh's counsel two weeks to challenge this decision. Singh, 63, has been in jail for over 25 years and sought premature release, claiming repentance for his actions.
Under the Odisha state premature release policy, prisoners whose death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment become eligible for remission after completing 25 years in prison, subject to recommendations by the Odisha State Sentence Review Board and approval by the state government. Dara Singh has now spent more than 26 years in prison.
The Tamil Nadu government on Friday told the Madras high court that it was yet to take a decision on the premature release of Nalini Sriharan, the life convict in Rajiv Gandhi assassination case since her case with other co-convicts are pending before the Supreme Court.
Nalini had submitted that she had spent 25 years in jail though the legal requirement was only 20 years to be eligible for early release.
The Supreme Court has declined to hear a plea challenging the denial of parole extension to Santosh Kumar Singh, convicted in the 1996 Priyadarshini Mattoo murder case, while the Delhi High Court is already reviewing the matter.
The policy of a state government for grant of remission existent at the time of conviction will be applicable while deciding the petition of a convict sentenced to life imprisonment seeking premature release, the Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday.
The Supreme Court on Friday directed the premature release of six convicts, including Nalini Sriharan and R P Ravichandran, serving life term in the assassination case of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, noting that the Tamil Nadu government has recommended remission of their sentence.
Purohit eventually cleared them only after obtaining legal opinion from the state Advocate General.
The Supreme Court of India has directed the Odisha government to decide within six weeks on a plea for remission filed by Ravindra Pal alias Dara Singh, who is serving a life sentence for the murders of Australian missionary Graham Stuart Staines and his two sons in 1999. Singh, who has spent over 24 years in prison, claims to have "repented" his actions and seeks an opportunity to reform his character. The court issued the notice after Singh argued that he has already served more than the required period of sentence and that his right to liberty is being jeopardized by the delay in processing his plea.
Sharma, son of former Union minister Venod Sharma, was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment by the Delhi high court in December 2006 for killing Jessica Lal in 1999.
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday a plea of the Maharashtra government challenging a Bombay high court order which paved the way for premature release of gangster-turned-politician Arun Gawli, who is serving life imprisonment in a murder case.
"A fresh review application challenging the Supreme Court decision to release the convicts on the grounds set out in the order will be filed on behalf of the party in the next few days," a party insider said.
Singh has sought the application of a more liberal remission policy to ensure his premature release from a prison in the state where he is lodged for more than 24 years.
The 11 convicts are Bakabhai Vohania, Bipin Chandra Joshi, Kesarbhai Vohania, Govind Nai, Jaswant Nai, Mitesh Bhatt, Pradeep Mordhiya, Radheshyam Shah, Rajubhai Soni, Ramesh Chandana and Shailesh Bhatt.
Facing criticism from the Congress, the government on Thursday moved the Supreme Court seeking a review of its order for premature release of six convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.
All the 11 life term convicts in the Bilkis Bano case of the 2002 riots were released as per the remission policy prevalent in Gujarat at the time of their conviction in 2008, a top government official said on Tuesday and rejected claims of contravention of the Centre's guidelines in the matter.
Rameshbhai Chandana approached the high court on Friday with a plea to be released on parole to attend his niece's wedding.
The Madras High Court on Tuesday dismissed a plea of Nalini, a life convict in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, seeking premature release under the general amnesty scheme.
'Prime Minister Narendra Modi had given a commitment to the Sikh community on the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev in 2019 that the sentence of all Sikh detainees serving life sentences would be commuted and that the death sentence of Bhai Rajoana would be commuted to life.'
Nalini Sriharan, one of the convicts who was serving life imprisonment in connection with the assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, on Thursday approached the Supreme Court seeking release from prison -- like fellow convict AG Perarivalan.
The Supreme Court issued a notice to the Tamil Nadu government on Friday on a petition filed by V Ravichandran, a convict serving life sentence in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, seeking his premature release on the ground that he has already undergone a jail term of 14 years.
The apex court, while noting that the petitioner intends to go back to Sri Lanka as and when he is released, directed that he shall be shifted to an appropriate transit camp as may be decided by the state.
Mahila court judge M Rajalakshmi, who convicted Gnanasekaran on May 28, awarded sentences in respect of each 11 charges proved by the prosecution against him. The sentences run concurrently, the judge added.
She had petitioned the court seeking a direction to the Tamil Nadu government to press the Governor to take a decision on its September 2018 recommendation for premature release of all the seven convicts serving life term in the case.
The Tamil Nadu government has said it cannot take any unilateral decision on the plea by Nalini, a life convict in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, for her premature release.
The high court set aside and quashed the recommendations of the sentence review board (SRB) which had rejected Sharma's representation for pre-mature release.
"Public outcry will not affect our judicial decisions," the Supreme Court asserted on Tuesday, as it began weighing the legality of the remission granted to all the 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano gang-rape case and murder of seven of her family members during the 2002 Gujarat riots.
Quoting a dialogue on the villain Gabbar Singh from the Hindi blockbuster Sholay, the Supreme Court on Wednesday "confirmed" its earlier order staying the premature release of gangster-turned-politician Arun Gawli who is serving life imprisonment in a murder case.
The Supreme Court on Monday said it would like to examine the plea of the Maharashtra government, challenging the remission granted to gangster-turned-politician Arun Gawli who is serving a life sentence in a murder case.
The Supreme Court will hear on March 27 a batch of pleas challenging the remission of sentence of 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano gang-rape case that also involves the killing of seven members of her family during the 2002 Gujarat riots.
The Supreme Court on Thursday adjourned to November 11 the hearing on a plea filed by Nalini Sriharan, serving life sentence in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, seeking premature release.
The govt decided to recommend to the governor, the release of Murugan, Santhan, Perarivalan, Jayakumar, Ravichandran, Robert Payas and Nalini, serving life imprisonment.
Bilkis Bano on Wednesday challenged the remission of sentence and release of convicts in the 2002 rape and murder case filing a plea before the Supreme Court.
