CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has imposed a cost of Rs 5,000 on the Government of Tamil Nadu for failing to furnish a copy of an order rejecting a plea for premature release of a life convict.
Sampath, a prisoner in Puzhal Central Prison, is serving a life sentence in a murder case. His wife Sandhya had filed a petition seeking a direction to the State government to consider her husband's application for premature release.
When the petition came up for hearing before a Division Bench comprising Justices Anita Sumanth and Sunder Mohan, counsel for the petitioner, S Nadhiya, submitted that Sampath had been undergoing imprisonment for about 20 years and was eligible to be considered for premature release. It was further contended that the application submitted in December 2025 had not been considered.
However, the State informed the court that the application had already been rejected on February 2.
The Bench pointed out that a copy of the rejection order had not been communicated to the petitioner and termed it a breach of duty. The judges observed that the failure to share the order had compelled the petitioner to approach the court.
Granting liberty to the petitioner to challenge the rejection order, the court closed the writ petition with a direction to pay a cost of Rs 5,000 to the petitioner. The amount is to be paid within two weeks by the Home Secretary to the State Government, the Director General of Prisons, and the Superintendent of Puzhal Central Prison.