Supreme Court Awards Rs. 6 Lakh to Man Acquitted After 6 Years, Faults UP Police Probe  ||  Supreme Court: High Courts Can Restore Power on 50% Deposit in Arbitrary Theft Assessments  ||  Supreme Court: Cooperative Society Cannot Deny RTI Records as Personal if Registrar Can Access Them  ||  SC: CoC Cannot Withdraw Approved Resolution Plan Over Improved Corporate Debtor Finances  ||  Delhi High Court: 24-Week Limit Alone Cannot Restrict Medical Termination of Pregnancy  ||  Allahabad High Court Rejects Challenge to 18% GST on Online Legal Database Services  ||  Madras High Court: FIR Registration Does Not Decide Guilt; Prior Hearing of Accused Not Required  ||  Kerala High Court Orders Speedy Prosecution Sanction Process in Sabarimala Gold Theft Case  ||  Allahabad HC: Missing RT-PCR Report Cannot Bar COVID-19 Compensation if Records Confirm Infection  ||  MP High Court Directs Indore Police to Deploy Volunteers for Reporting Noise Pollution Violations    

Muthuramalingam and Ors. v. State - (Supreme Court) (01 Jan 1900)

Multiple life imprisonment sentences to not run consecutively

MANU/SC/0783/2016

Criminal

A constitution bench of the Supreme Court held that though multiple sentences for life imprisonment can be awarded for multiple crimes, the same cannot be directed to run consecutively. The bench specifically overruled decisions that directed life sentences to run consecutively, either with life or other sentences.

The Supreme Court was faced with the question whether consecutive life sentences can be awarded to persons found guilty of a series of murders, all of which they were found guilty for in a single trial.The appellants were sentenced to of life imprisonment for each of the murders committed, with the sentences set to run consecutively. Sentences ranged from two to eight consecutive sentences.

Though the court disagreed with the approach of lower courts, there was consolation in its reiteration that the multiple sentences would nevertheless be “super imposed”. As such, remission or commutation under once sentence would not automatically entitle a prisoner to release from the other sentences.

Relevant : Dalabir Singh v. State of Punjab MANU/SC/0099/1979 Laxman Naskar v. Union of India MANU/SC/0084/2000 Ravindra Trimbak Chouthmal v. State of Maharashtra MANU/SC/1141/1996

Tags : MURDER   SENTENCE   LIFE IMPRISONMENT   CONSECUTIVE  

Share :        

Disclaimer | Copyright 2026 - All Rights Reserved