The Delhi High Court has set aside an order of the Sentence Review Board (SRB) that had rejected the plea for premature release of a man serving a life sentence for the 2005 murder of his wife and two minor children.
Justice Sanjeev Narula, in an order dated August 22, directed the SRB to reconsider the case afresh, keeping in mind the principles of law and observations recorded by the court, and to pass a reasoned order within eight weeks.
The bench noted that both the social investigation report and the probation officer’s opinion indicated that the convict had shown signs of rehabilitation and could potentially be reintegrated into society as a law-abiding citizen.
The high court criticised the SRB’s December 10, 2024 decision, observing that it was based largely on the nature and gravity of the crime, its perceived societal impact, and police objections, while failing to meaningfully consider the convict’s conduct in jail, psychological assessments, or evidence of reform.
“For these reasons, the court finds the SRB’s decision to be inadequately reasoned and contrary to the settled principles governing premature release,” the order stated.
The convict has already undergone nearly 18 years of actual imprisonment and a total of 21.4 years including remission. During this time, he was granted parole and furlough on 30 occasions, and his conduct was consistently reported to be satisfactory.
Despite these positive indicators, the SRB had rejected his application for release, citing the brutality of the offence, potential adverse social impact, and opposition from the police.
The man was initially sentenced to death for the murder of his wife and two minor children in 2005. However, the high court later commuted the sentence to life imprisonment, to last the remainder of his natural life.
With the latest order, the SRB is now required to convene a fresh meeting and re-examine his case in light of the court’s directions.
