Century-Old Lifers Plea for Freedom: Supreme Court Considers Release of 104-Year-Old Convict

NEW DELHI: Rasik Chandra Mandal, born in 1920, the same year India’s freedom movement gained momentum with the non-cooperation movement, is now battling for his freedom from prison at the age of 104. Convicted in a 1988 murder case when he was 68 years old, Mandal has spent more than three decades behind bars and is now seeking premature release due to his advanced age and deteriorating health.

Mandal was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1994, but his appeal was rejected by the Calcutta High Court in 2018 and later by the Supreme Court. However, in 2020, as he neared his century, he filed a writ petition before the Supreme Court, asking for his release, citing old age, health conditions, and his desire to spend his remaining days with family. He requested an exemption from the usual requirement of serving 14 years before becoming eligible for parole or remission.

The case came before the Supreme Court on May 7, 2021, where the bench, consisting of Justices A Abdul Nazeer (now retired) and Justice Sanjiv Khanna, directed the West Bengal government to submit a report on Mandal’s health. On Friday, the matter was heard again by a bench led by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar. West Bengal’s advocate, Astha Sharma, informed the court that Mandal, while suffering from age-related ailments, was otherwise stable and would soon be celebrating his 104th birthday.

The bench admitted Mandal’s petition and issued an interim order for his release on bail/parole, allowing him to spend time outside prison. Mandal had been incarcerated in a correctional home in Balurghat, West Bengal, since January 2019, after being shifted from the prison due to health concerns.

Mandal’s legal battle has been long. After his conviction in 1994, he had filed an appeal against his sentence, which was delayed for nearly 25 years before the Calcutta High Court upheld his conviction in January 2018. His appeal was dismissed by the Supreme Court in 2019, but his son, now 48, continues to fight for his release.

As he approaches his 104th birthday, Mandal’s plea for release has garnered attention, with the Supreme Court now considering his request to spend the final chapter of his life with loved ones.