In short
This Supreme Court of India judgment addresses multiple writ petitions filed by convicts challenging the constitutionality of being sentenced to imprisonment for the remainder of their natural life. The petitioners argued that such sentences are unauthorized by the Indian Penal Code and infringe upon their statutory rights to seek remission. Justice Sanjay Karol, writing for the bench, clarifies that life imprisonment fundamentally signifies incarceration until death, and established precedents allow for a special category of sentence that precludes early release in grave cases. The court emphasizes that while judicial review of executive clemency is possible under specific narrow grounds like mala fides or arbitrariness, the court cannot act as an appellate body over the President’s or Governor’s powers. Ultimately, the court dismissed the petitions, ruling that the challenged sentences are constitutionally valid and that the petitioners failed to demonstrate any violation of fundamental rights.