West Bengal Government moves SC against premature release of 1993 Kolkata blast case convict

New Delhi, June, 18
The West Bengal Government on Thursday moved the Supreme Court challenging a Delhi High Court order allowing the premature release of Md Rashid Khan – a life-term convict in the 1993 Kolkata’s Bowbazar blast case in which 69 people were killed and multiple residential buildings were destroyed.
The state government’s counsel mentioned the matter before a Bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant for urgent listing.
He said the Sentence Review Board had recommended against the release of Khan – a convict under the Terrorist and Disruptive Acts Prevention Act (TADA) but despite that the High Court ordered his premature release.
The Bench, which also included Justice V Mohana, agreed to list the matter.
Khan, who had been in jail for more than 33 years, was on June 5 allowed to be released by the Delhi High Court in view of his long period of incarceration, prison conduct and the reformative philosophy underlying premature release of convicts.
“It has been held that reformation should be the dominant objective of a punishment and during incarceration, every effort should be made to recreate the good man out of a convicted prisoner,” the High Court said.
Triggered by a massive cache of explosives stockpiled by Khan, the March 16, 1993, Bowbazar blast in Kolkata claimed 69 lives and destroyed several residential buildings.