State Of Haryana & Ors vs Jagdish

The Supreme Court addressed the inconsistency in prior judgments regarding the applicable policy for remission of life sentences, specifically whether the policy in effect at the time of conviction or at the time of consideration for release should apply. The Court held that the policy prevailing at the time of conviction, as per the judgment in Mahender Singh and Bhup Singh, should govern the consideration for remission. Consequently, the Court upheld the Punjab and Haryana High Court's decision to consider the respondent's case for clemency under the policy effective on the date of his conviction, which was 04.02.1993, rather than the later policy introduced in 2008.