Seriousness Of Crime Not A Ground To Deny Premature Release To A Life Convict; Reformative Element To Be Considered: Bombay High Court

The Goa Bench of the Bombay High Court observed that merely stating that the crime committed by convict was a serious one, without anything else, cannot be a good ground to refuse premature release. A Bench of Justices MS Sonak and MS Jawalkar therefore allowed the petition of a life convict under Section 302 of IPC (Murder) and directed that he be granted premature release, as he had spent almost 20 years of actual imprisonment.