In Brief
A man convicted of murder was sentenced to life imprisonment fixed at 20 years without remission. After completing those 20 years in prison on 9 March 2025, he sought release. The State argued he must apply for remission of his underlying life sentence before being released. The Supreme Court held that when a court imposes a fixed-term life sentence without remission, the convict has a right to be released immediately upon completing that term without needing to apply for remission. Detaining him beyond the judicial sentence period violates the Constitution. The Court clarified the distinction between remission (executive reduction of an indeterminate sentence) and release on completion of a fixed-term judicial sentence.
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