Now Reading: Delhi High Court orders release of two life convicts, rejects ‘wrong message’ view
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Delhi High Court orders release of two life convicts, rejects ‘wrong message’ view
Delhi High Court orders release of two life convicts, rejects ‘wrong message’ view
The Delhi High Court has ordered the immediate release of two life convicts, Ramesh and Tasleem, after their pleas for premature release faced repeated rejections from the Sentence Review Board. Justice Anup…
The Story in Brief
The Delhi High Court has ordered the immediate release of two life convicts, Ramesh and Tasleem, after their pleas for premature release faced repeated rejections from the Sentence Review Board. Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani ruled that factors like sending a 'wrong message' to society or unsubstantiated fears of victims cannot justify denial. Ramesh served over 31 years of actual imprisonment (over 40 with remission) for rape and culpable homicide; Tasleem served over 15 years (over 19 with remission) for gang rape.
The court clarified that post-conviction conduct and jail behaviour are the key indicators of reformation. It noted both prisoners had progressed to open prisons with good records. The SRB's reliance on the gravity of the original offence and abstract concerns was held as arbitrary and violative of Article 21 of the Constitution.
The Indian Opinion
The court's ruling rightly punctures a lazy official response: that freeing a long-serving convict sends a 'wrong message'. This reasoning, and vague fear of victims, substitutes for evidence of actual risk. The reformative purpose of punishment means nothing if it is permanently blocked by the crime's gravity. The test now is whether the Sentence Review Board's future assessments will indeed rely on conduct reports, not abstract panic over public sentiment.
Source: livelaw.in
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