New Delhi, August 21, 2026: The Supreme Court on Friday ordered the premature release of 105-year-old life convict Rasik Chandra Mondal in a 1988 murder case, bringing his decades-long legal battle to an end. The court made its 2024 interim bail order final and waived his remaining sentence, if any.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana passed the order after considering Mondal's advanced age. The court made it clear that even if his life sentence had not run its full course, he would not be taken back into custody, Live Law reports.
Age Tips The Scales
The decision underlines the humanitarian consideration that can come into play when courts deal with exceptionally elderly prisoners. At 105, and with age-related health issues already noted by the Supreme Court, sending Mondal back to prison would have served little practical purpose.
"Even if the life sentence is not over, he will not be taken back in custody," the Chief Justice said while making the 2024 interim bail order absolute and final.
Mondal, who was born in 1920 in West Bengal's Malda district, had been booked by the West Bengal Police in 1988 for offences under Sections 143, 448, 302 and 324 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Convicted In 1994
On Dec 12, 1994, Mondal was convicted under Section 302 of the IPC. He was 68 at the time of his conviction. His challenge to the conviction continued for years, but without success.
In 2018, the Calcutta High Court dismissed his appeal against the conviction. Mondal subsequently approached the Supreme Court, which also dismissed his plea.
Plea For Premature Release
Mondal returned to the Supreme Court in 2020, when he was 99, seeking premature release on the grounds of his advanced age and age-related ailments. In May 2021, the Supreme Court issued notice to the West Bengal government in the matter.
His plea remained pending until the court granted him interim bail/parole on Nov 29, 2024. The terms and conditions of his release were to be fixed by the trial court.
"As an interim order, we direct that the petitioner, Rasik Chandra Mondal, will be released on interim bail/parole during the pendency of the present writ petition, on terms and conditions to be fixed by the trial court," the Supreme Court had said at the time.
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A Free Man At 105
On Friday, the court decided there was no justification for sending Mondal back to prison or requiring him to serve any remaining portion of his sentence. Taking his age into account, the bench closed the case and waived the remaining sentence, if any.
The order means Mondal, more than three decades after his conviction and nearly four decades after the murder case was registered, can remain a free man. The ruling also brings an extraordinary case of longevity, punishment and judicial discretion to a humane conclusion.
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