New Delhi, Mar 09: The Supreme Court has issued notices to the centre, all the states and union territories on a writ petition seeking release of all life convicts who have completed 14 years in jail. The notices on the petition, filed by the apex advocates association, were issued yesterday by a bench of Justice S N Variava and Justice H K Sema.
It was contended on behalf of the petitioner that although there had been a lot of change around the world in the criminal jurisprudence and reformative theories, the position of life convicts in our country remained the same.
The petitioner also sought creation of a high level committee of experts to study and deal with their cases sympathetically.
The petitioner submitted that on account of the liberal interpretation of the right to life and liberty in article 21 of the Constitution, the life convicts' right to be released after 14 years in jail had to be interpreted to their advantage. The petition cited examples of life convicts, housed in Fatehgarh, Aizawal and Berhampur jails, who had completed 14 years but had not been released so far despite keeping poor health.
Bureau Report