SC orders MP govt to pay Rs 25 lakh compensation for keeping man in jail beyond sentence

The Supreme Court directed Madhya Pradesh to pay Rs 25 lakh in compensation to Sohan Singh, who remained imprisoned for over 11 years despite a 7-year sentence in a rape case.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Madhya Pradesh government to pay Rs 25 lakh as compensation to a convict who suffered prolonged incarceration in a rape case beyond his actual sentence.

A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and K V Viswanathan issued the order after noting that Sohan Singh spent 11 years and 7 months in jail, even though his sentence was only for seven years. Although Singh was granted bail at some point, the state failed to release him after he completed the prescribed sentence.

The court strongly criticized the Madhya Pradesh government for filing “misleading” affidavits and condemned the administrative lapse that led to the over-incarceration of the convict. It also directed the Madhya Pradesh Legal Services Authority to conduct an exercise to identify similarly affected individuals.

Last month, the Supreme Court observed that although the High Court had partly allowed Singh’s appeal—reducing his life sentence to seven years of rigorous imprisonment—the petitioner was only released on June 6, 2025. The bench demanded an explanation from the state government, asking:

“We would like to know how such a serious lapse occurred and why the petitioner remained in jail for more than eight years even after undergoing the entire sentence of seven years.”

Sohan Singh had appealed to the apex court against the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s judgment of October 10, 2017. He was convicted by the Sessions Court in Khurai, District Sagar, under Sections 376(1), 450, and 560B of the Indian Penal Code. The trial court initially sentenced him to life imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 2,000.