Supreme Court reserves verdict on early release of a convict whose death sentence was commuted; Justice Datta says 'you have to draw a line somewhere'

National Judgment Polity & Governance

Supreme Court reserves verdict on early release of a convict whose death sentence was commuted; Justice Datta says 'you have to draw a line somewhere'

8 October 2026

A Supreme Court bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Sheel Nagu heard the case of convict Sanjeev Kumar.
He was sentenced to death in 2004 for multiple murders; the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment in 2014 over delay in deciding his mercy plea.
The State challenged a Punjab and Haryana High Court order of December 2025 that set aside its rejection of his premature release.
Justice Datta remarked, 'Forgive, forgive, forgive, you have to draw a line somewhere.'
He asked whether the 'rarest of rare' standard still fits today's circumstances.
The Court reserved its verdict.

Bench: Justices Dipankar Datta and Sheel Nagu Death sentence: 2004 Commuted to life: 2014 High Court order: December 2025

Why it matters for exams: The rarest-of-rare doctrine, commutation and remission are core criminal-law and constitutional topics.

Kerala PSCUPSC

8 October 2026 Source: Bar and Bench

In plain words

Rarest of rare Rarest of rare doctrine — The test laid down in Bachan Singh (1980) for when a death sentence may be imposed.

Commutation Commutation of sentence — Replacing a punishment with a lighter one, such as death with life imprisonment.