Man convicted of 1997 double murder to be freed after 21 years as Calcutta HC orders early release
Times of India | 21 May 2025
Calcutta high court KOLKATA: A murder convict’s life imprisonment was cut short to 21 years as the State Sentence Review Board recommended his release, and the Calcutta High Court directed the trial court to release him within 48 hours.After writing repeated mails to the governor and chief minister for remission, which was rejected in 2021 by the review board, it was finally accepted by the board, which informed Justice Tirthankar Ghosh on Tuesday.“In view of the recommendation made by the State Sentence Review Board, the petitioner will take out an application for release before the additional sessions judge, 6th Court, Alipore, and the court would release the petitioner within 48 hours of communication of this order,” Justice Ghosh directed.Sankar Sundar Dutta, alias Tuti, the only child to his ailing parents aged 74 and 84 years, was convicted by the high court in 2006 after the trial court acquitted him in 2001 in a murder case. He was booked under charges of murder as well as section 3 of the Explosive Substances Act.He was one of the seven people who attacked and killed two and injured one on Dec 6, 1997, at Ram Kamal Street under Watgunge police station.In 2001, all accused were acquitted by the trial judge. In 2002, the state approached the Calcutta High Court and in 2006, the court set aside the trial court order and convicted all the accused, including Sankar, of murder and sentenced them to life imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 5,000. Three of them, including Shankar, challenged the order in 2007 in the Supreme Court, which dismissed the appeal and the review petition in 2008.He approached Justice Ghosh’s bench, stating that he had been imprisoned since 2006. He claimed his behaviour in jail was satisfactory, and to date, he was released on parole 12 times. Shankar first approached the review board in 2020, but his plea was rejected.