States Must Ensure No Prisoner Remains in Jail Beyond Sentence: Supreme Court Issues Nationwide Directions

“Liberty Cannot Be Delayed by Administrative Lapses — Release Convicts Forthwith Once Term Ends”, In a significant move to curb illegal over-detention, the Supreme Court directed all State and Union Territory Governments to immediately identify and release convicts who have already completed their judicially determined sentence terms but remain in jail due to administrative inaction.

Declaring that “no person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to procedure established by law”, the Court ordered the circulation of its judgment to every State/UT Home Department and to the National and State Legal Services Authorities to ensure compliance at the district level.

“Liberty is Not a Favour — It is a Constitutional Guarantee”

The bench of Justices B.V. Nagarathna and K.V. Viswanathan underscored that continuing to keep a convict in prison after their sentence has expired is “imprisonment sans sanction of law”, striking at the heart of Article 21.

The Court emphasised:

“In all cases where an accused/convict has completed his period of jail term, he shall be entitled to be released forthwith… if not wanted in any other case.”

State Authorities and Legal Services Bodies Put on Notice

To prevent recurrence, the Court issued explicit operational directions:

• The Registry of the Supreme Court will send the order to all Home Secretaries of States/UTs to verify immediately if any convict is in custody beyond the lawful term.

• Where such cases are found, directions must be issued for their release without delay.

• The National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) must transmit this order to all State and District Legal Services Authorities so they can monitor implementation.

The Court made it clear that these instructions are not confined to the present case but are of general application to safeguard liberty across India.

“Delay in Release Erodes the Rule of Law”

The ruling warns that bureaucratic delays, pending files, or misplaced insistence on remission applications cannot justify further detention once a sentence — whether life imprisonment for a fixed term or any other fixed sentence — has been completed.

Referring to its earlier pronouncement in Bhola Kumar v. State of Chhattisgarh, the Court reiterated:

“When such a convict is detained beyond the actual release date it would be… a violation of Article 21 of the Constitution of India.”

A Call for Systemic Correction

This judgment is expected to trigger a nationwide audit of prison records, especially for inmates serving life sentences with fixed terms or long determinate sentences. Legal experts say it places a non-negotiable duty on both prison administrations and legal aid authorities to ensure no one is unlawfully detained due to procedural neglect.

With this, the Court has sent a clear message — freedom, once earned by serving the sentence imposed by law, is not to be rationed by the executive.

Date of Decision: 12 August 2025