NEW DELHI: A 104-year-old man has been granted interim bail due to health conditions by the Supreme Court in a 1988 murder case in which he was serving a life term.
A bench of Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar allowed the plea by Rasik Chandra Mondal in a brief hearing on Friday.
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In its order, the bench said, "As an interim order, we direct that the petitioner, Rasik Chandra Mondal, will be released on interim bail/parole during the pendency of the present writ petition, on terms and conditions to be fixed by the trial court".
Mondal was born in 1920 in West Bengal’s Malda district.
Taking up his plea, the bench asked West Bengal counsel to update it on his prevalent health condition.
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Advocate Astha Sharma appeared for the West Bengal government before the bench. Mondal was represented by advocate J P Dhanda.
Sharma contended before the bench that Mondal had health issues, which are age-related, but otherwise, he is in a stable condition.
She told the bench that he would celebrate his 104th birthday shortly.
In view of his advanced age, the bench said it would grant him interim bail.
In 1994, Mondal, when he was 68 years old, was convicted for a 1988 murder case. Currently, he is serving life sentence. In 2018, the Calcutta High Court dismissed his appeal challenging his conviction in the murder case. Later, he moved the apex court which also dismissed his plea.
In 2020, Mondal, when he was 99-years-old, moved a plea seeking premature release. Mondal had cited his advanced age- and age-related ailments. In May 2021, the apex court issued notice to the West Bengal government.
