Lagatar24 Desk
Ranchi: The Jharkhand High Court, while hearing a suo motu public interest litigation related to the premature release of convicts serving life imprisonment in the state, questioned the state government on why the State Sentence Review Board failed to hold its meeting within the mandated three-month period, seeking a formal response on the matter.
Government Cites Delay, Next Meeting Scheduled for July 30
The state government informed the court that the board’s previous meeting was held in March 2026, but the subsequent meeting scheduled for June could not take place due to certain reasons. The next meeting of the Sentence Review Board has now been fixed for July 30. The court has sought clarification from the state government regarding the delay and has also asked for a status report on the decisions taken during the upcoming July 30 meeting. Advocate Shubham Mishra represented JHALSA in the matter, while senior advocate Amit Kumar Das represented the High Court’s side.
86 Cases Reviewed in Previous Meeting, 44 Approved for Early Release
During the previous hearing in March 2026, the state government had informed the court that the State Sentence Review Board’s meeting was held on schedule, during which 86 cases of convicts were reviewed. Of these, proposals for premature release were approved for 44 convicts, while 42 cases were rejected.
Supreme Court Directive Mandates Quarterly Board Meetings
The Supreme Court has issued directions to states requiring the State Sentence Review Board to meet once every three months. In line with this directive, the Jharkhand High Court has been actively monitoring compliance through the ongoing public interest litigation.
