Home / Crime and Justice / Court Rules 'Heinousness' Not Permanent Bar to Remission
Court Rules 'Heinousness' Not Permanent Bar to Remission
3 Feb
Summary
- Prisoner released after 21 years with clean conduct.
- Remission plea rejected 12 times by Sentence Review Board.
- Court cited need for reformative justice over retribution.
The Delhi High Court has ruled that the gravity of a past crime should not perpetually prevent a prisoner's remission, ordering the release of Harpreet Singh. Singh, a former member of the President's Bodyguards, had been serving a life sentence since 2003 for a gang rape case involving a 17-year-old student.
Justice Neena Bansal Krishna noted Singh's 21 years of imprisonment with "clean conduct" and numerous commendations. The Sentence Review Board (SRB) had denied his remission requests 12 times, a stance the court deemed "bureaucratic haze."
The court stated that the offense's heinousness is a historical fact and should not serve as a lifelong bar to release, as this undermines the reformative justice system.
