Supreme Court Orders Immediate Release of Prisoners on Completion of Jail Term

The Supreme Court ruled that convicts who have completed their fixed-term sentences must be automatically released even without a remission application if not required in any other case.

The case stemmed from Sukhdev Pehalwan’s plea in the Nitish Katara murder case; he had completed his 20-year, no-remission sentence in March but remained incarcerated due to a pending furlough.

The Court directed all states and UTs to review prisons and release anyone unlawfully detained beyond their term, with copies dispatched to Home Secretaries and legal service authorities. 

[Sukhdev Yadav @Pehalwan v State of NCT of Delhi]