Life term requires convict to spend life in jail, not 30 yrs: SC

Life term implies that a convict has to spend his life, not 30 years, in jail, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court said Tuesday in a landmark verdict. 
A four-judge bench chaired by Chief Justice SK Sinha brought the confusion over the tenure of life term to an end in a brief verdict.
The Chief Justice said that the details about life term would be spelt out in the full verdict to be delivered later. 
Persistence of the confusion facilitated life term convicts to spend a maximum of 30 years in jail said prison officials.
The verdict delivered by the apex court Tuesday would be applicable to all convicts serving life terms, said lawyers.
They also said that enforcement of the apex court’s decision would require amendment of Section 57 of the Penal Code, which says that life term means jail for 30 years. 
The apex court verdict also reduced death sentences of three convicts to life terms until their natural death occurs in jail.
Following appeals, the apex court reduced death sentences of Ataur Rahman alias Ataur, Anwar and Kamrul to life terms.
On October 15, 2003, the trial court had handed them death sentences in Zaman’ murder case of Ashulia which was upheld by the High Court Division in 2007.
On December 16, 2001, Zaman fell victim of brutal murder as three gunmen, Ataur, Anwar and Kamrul had pumped seven bullets in his chest. 
Ataur has been in jail since December 2001 and Anwar since 2007 while death row convict Kamrul has been absconding.
The apex court verdict, which reduced war criminal Delwar Hossain Sayedee’s death sentence to life term, made it clear for the first time in Bangladesh that life term means spending life in jail. 
The verdict, delivered on September 17, 2014, was written by Justice SK Sinha, then the senior most judge of the Appellate Division, the incumbent Chief Justice.
In November, 2012, the Supreme Court of India brought the confusion over life term to an end by making it clear that life term requires convicts to spend their entire life in jails. 

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