Madhya Pradesh: Explain, SC Tells State As Convict Spends 8 Years In Jail Against 7-Years Term

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): A rape convict spent more than eight years in jail against the seven-year term awarded by the MP High Court. Terming the lapse ‘quite shocking’, the Supreme Court has now asked the state government to explain the error that led to the convict’s incarceration far above the punishment duration in two weeks.

Sohan Singh, convicted for rape, was originally sentenced to life imprisonment by a Sessions Court in 2004. However, the Madhya Pradesh High Court later reduced the sentence to seven years, citing factors like the victim being a married woman, delay in lodging the FIR and lack of corroborative medical evidence for rape charge.

Despite the High Court's order, Singh remained incarcerated for over eight years against the stipulated sentence. He was finally released on June 6, 2025.

The bench, led by Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Justice K V Viswanathan, expressed concern over the prolonged incarceration of Singh and asked the state government to clarify how such an oversight occurred. The SC emphasised that such serious lapses cannot be ignored and must be rectified promptly.

Sohan Singh was convicted under Sections 376(1), 450, and 506-B of the IPC for rape of a married woman. The original trial court in Khurai, District Sagar, had imposed life imprisonment along with a Rs. 2,000 fine. However, in 2017, the Madhya Pradesh High Court reduced the sentence to seven years of rigorous imprisonment while maintaining the conviction under the same sections of the IPC.