Two life sentences given in one trial cannot be made to run one after the other, Supreme Court holds

29 October 2026

A man convicted in a single trial for more than one offence had been handed two life sentences, and the courts below ordered that he serve them one after the other.
The Supreme Court set that part of the order aside. It held that where life terms are imposed in the same trial, they can only run together.
The reasoning is simple. A life term already lasts the whole of the remaining natural life of the convict, so stacking one on top of another adds nothing that can actually be served.
The Court also dealt with what happens if the convict later gets relief from the executive. Remission or commutation given for one of the offences does not touch the life term imposed for the other.
That second life sentence therefore continues to run on its own strength until it too is remitted or commuted.
The effect is that such a convict is not cut off from applying for relief, but relief must be won separately for each offence.
The principle restates a settled rule on concurrent sentencing that examiners return to often.