The Allahabad High Court has demanded a detailed explanation from the Uttar Pradesh government regarding the premature release of a murder convict who served less than six years of a life sentence.
In a ruling passed on July 3, a division bench comprising Justices Ajay Bhanot and Divesh Chandra Samant directed the state’s Principal Secretary (Home) to file a personal affidavit. The top official must disclose the specific criteria and administrative basis upon which the early release was approved.
The legal intervention follows a criminal writ petition filed by Shailendra Singh, a resident of Kanpur Nagar district.
Challenge To Premature Release
According to the petition, the principal offender, Jai Deo Singh, was previously found guilty of murder under Section 302 and Section 148 of the Indian Penal Code. Despite receiving a life sentence for the gravity of the crime, he was granted remission and freed after serving exactly five years, ten months, and eighteen days behind bars.
Expressing serious concern over the development, the bench noted that the swift release of an individual convicted of a major offence and sentenced to life imprisonment appeared on its face to be a highly troubling state of affairs.
Official Accountability Demanded
To ensure all parties are represented, the high court ordered the petitioner to formally add the released convict as a co-respondent in the ongoing legal proceedings and serve him with a legal notice.
The State of Uttar Pradesh and the Director General of Prison and Administrative Improvement are already named as respondents in the petition.
The High Court has deferred further proceedings and scheduled the case to be heard again in four weeks.
