Supreme Court Dismisses Petition For Remission, Imposes ₹10,000 Fine For Suppression Of Facts

New Delhi, September 9: The Supreme Court dismissed a special leave petition (SLP) today, imposing a cost of ₹10,000 on the petitioner for attempting to seek remission by suppressing facts. The bench, comprising Justices Abhay S. Oka and Augustine George Masih, reprimanded the petitioner for making false statements and producing misleading documents in the case.

The accused, who was convicted under Sections 302/34 of the Indian Penal Code and sentenced to life imprisonment, sought parole due to a family medical emergency. His plea for parole was rejected on February 28. He had already been in custody for 14 years without remission and was rearrested in 2020 under the Arms Act after being granted emergency parole.

During the hearing, the Supreme Court noted several discrepancies in the petitioner’s plea. Specifically, the petitioner falsely claimed that a Miscellaneous Application (M.A.) filed in the Delhi High Court seeking interim relief had been dismissed. However, upon review, it was revealed that the M.A. had actually been withdrawn by the petitioner. 

Justice Oka, expressing concern over repeated cases of false statements in remission pleas, remarked, “In six cases recently, we have noticed false statements being made for permanent remission.”

The petitioner’s advocate attempted to clarify that the M.A. was “dismissed as withdrawn,” but the court rejected this explanation. Justice Oka further noted that misleading information had been provided not just in the synopsis but also in the grounds of the petition, which attempted to project the High Court’s order as an arbitrary denial of judicial discretion.

As a result, the Supreme Court dismissed the petition, stating that the petitioner had deliberately suppressed facts and misrepresented the High Court’s proceedings. The court ordered the petitioner to pay ₹10,000 to the Delhi Legal Services Authority within one month.