Home / Crime and Justice / Court Overturns Gangster Label for Prisoner
Court Overturns Gangster Label for Prisoner
2 Aug
Summary
- Court reclassified prisoner's category from gangster to murder by multiple persons.
- Authorities cannot use harsher remission after conspiracy charges were rejected.
- Bombay high court quashed Home Dept communication placing convict in Category 6(a).
The Nagpur bench of the Bombay high court recently directed the state government to reclassify a life convict's category. The court ruled that the prisoner, Pravin Mishra, should be moved from the 'gangster/contract killer' classification to one for murders committed by more than one person.
Justices Urmila Joshi-Phalke and Nivedita Mehta allowed Mishra's petition, quashing a Home Department communication from November 3, 2025. This communication had placed him in Category 6(a) under the state's 2010 remission guidelines, requiring 28 years imprisonment including remission.
The court examined the trial court's judgment, noting the prosecution failed to prove criminal conspiracy. As such, the harsher Category 6(a) was deemed inapplicable. The bench directed the Home Department to reconsider Mishra's classification under Category 4(d), which covers murders by groups and prescribes a maximum of 24 years imprisonment.
Petitioner's counsel argued that Mishra ought to have been placed under Category 4(d) from the outset. This category covers murders committed by more than one person or a group, with a maximum imprisonment period of 24 years under the 2010 Government Resolution.
