In Brief
Following its earlier judgment on premature release of life-sentence convicts, the Supreme Court addressed widespread non-compliance by Uttar Pradesh authorities. Despite eligibility criteria being met (14 years actual imprisonment under the 1938 Act, or 16 years under the 2022 Standing Policy), many convicts' cases were not being considered. The Court found the State was arbitrarily "cherry-picking" cases and waiting for convicts to serve 16 years instead of the mandated 14. Reaffirming that premature release policy must be applied uniformly and transparently, the Court ordered all 2,228 eligible pending cases be disposed by 30 April 2023, emphasizing the State's duty to follow its own rules and prevent abuse.
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