Overview
- The latest move came on Thursday when West Bengal filed a Special Leave Petition in the Supreme Court seeking rapid review of the Delhi High Court’s June 5 remission order for Md. Rashid Khan.
- On June 5 the Delhi High Court directed Khan’s immediate release after more than 33 years in custody, citing his advanced age, documented medical ailments, excellent prison conduct and the reformative purpose of remission.
- The state argues Khan was the mastermind of the March 16, 1993 Bowbazar explosion that killed 69 people and that the High Court wrongly set aside the State Sentence Review Board’s later refusal to grant remission.
- Khan was convicted in 2001 under the Indian Penal Code, the Explosive Substances Act and the now‑repealed TADA, and his case raises legal questions about whether remission rules apply the same way for convictions under central terror laws.
- The Supreme Court has agreed to list the petition for early hearing and the next steps to watch are whether the court grants interim protection of the High Court order and how it balances reformative justice against deterrence and victims’ interests.