The Supreme Court on Monday strongly criticised the State of Madhya Pradesh for failing to release a convict who had already completed his sentence. Due to the state’s lapse, the convict spent an extra 4.7 years in prison after finishing his seven-year term.

A bench led by Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice KV Viswanathan expressed serious concern over the mistake and said the state authorities were responsible for the wrongful imprisonment. The Court directed the Madhya Pradesh government to pay the convict Rs. 25 lakhs as compensation. It also noted that the state’s counsel had filed “misleading” affidavits, giving inaccurate details about the case.

What was the case?

The convict was first sentenced to life imprisonment in 2004 by a Sessions Court in Madhya Pradesh for offences under Sections 376(1), 450, and 560B of the Indian Penal Code. In 2007, the Madhya Pradesh High Court reduced his sentence to seven years. However, even after completing his sentence in 2014, the convict was not released until June 2023. This meant he stayed in jail nearly five years longer than required.

The matter came to light when the convict filed a plea seeking justice for being kept in prison beyond his term. Initially, the Supreme Court was told that he had suffered over eight years of extra jail time. But later, Senior Advocate Nachiketa Joshi, representing Madhya Pradesh, clarified that the actual period of wrongful incarceration was around 4.7 years because the convict had been out on bail for some time.

The Court said the filing of “misleading” affidavits by the state was unacceptable and showed a lack of transparency. Justice Pardiwala and Justice Viswanathan stressed that such failures cannot be ignored, as they directly affect the fundamental right to personal liberty.

Along with ordering compensation, the court also instructed the Madhya Pradesh Legal Services Authority to check if other individuals have faced similar over-incarceration due to negligence.

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