Laxman Naskar vs Union Of India & Ors

The Supreme Court held that life convicts do not have an inherent right to premature release but are entitled to have their cases considered under Article 161 of the Constitution and relevant state rules. The Court emphasized that the Government must adhere to its own guidelines when evaluating requests for premature release, particularly those outlined in Sub-rules (4) & (29) of Rule 591 of the West Bengal Rules. The rejection of the life convicts' petitions for premature release was found to be inconsistent with the established legal framework, leading to the conclusion that the Government failed to properly consider their cases.