Supreme Court Directs States and Union Territories to Improve Remission Policies

• The Supreme Court has issued directions to standardize and improve the transparency of policies governing permanent remission for prisoners.
• Justices Abhay S. Oka and Augustine George Masih’s directions mandate greater accessibility to policy information, timely decision communication, and individualized case consideration to prevent arbitrary conditions.
• The order was hearing a suo motu case of 2021 titled “Policy Strategy for Grant of Bai”.
• States and Union Territories are directed to inform convicts of any rejection of applications for permanent remission within one week.
• The order calls for comprehensive steps by State authorities to ensure convicts are adequately informed and their cases are fairly considered.
• Current remission policies must be made available in prisons across the country and uploaded in English on relevant government websites.
• The court advises against applying “stereotype conditions” for remission grants, stating that conditions should be tailored based on the specific details of each case.