NEW DELHI – The Delhi High Court has overturned a decision by the Sentence Review Board (SRB) that refused early parole to Hari Singh, who was found guilty of hijacking an Indian Airlines flight with 192 passengers in 1993. Justice Sanjeev Narula has sent the case back to the SRB for a new look, telling the board to make its decision within eight weeks.
In 2001, Hari Singh was found guilty and given a life sentence for breaking Section 4 of the Anti-Hijacking Act, which deals with penalties for hijacking, and Sections 353, 365, and 506 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). These IPC parts have to do with
Section 353: Using assault or unlawful force to stop a public official from doing their job.
Section 365: Kidnapping or taking someone with the goal to surreptitiously and wrongfully keep them locked up.
Section 506: Punishment for threatening someone with a crime.
The High Court turned down his appeal in 2011, and he later withdrew a special leave plea from the Supreme Court.
The SRB has looked at Singh’s case for early release several times, but each time they turned it down, mostly because of the “gravity of the offense.” Singh had been in jail for 17 years, 11 months, and six days as of May 12, 2025. This included time off for good behavior, so his total time in jail was 22 years, six months, and 20 days.
Justice Narula said that the SRB’s reasons for turning down Singh’s application were “inadequate” and did not meet the “requisite standards of reasonable justification necessary for an order passed by an executive authority under administrative mandate.”
“It is clear that the SRB’s decision is flawed because it doesn’t give enough reasons and doesn’t take into account important evidence, such as judicial observations about the petitioner’s behavior and reform.” The High Court concluded in its verdict on July 7, “Thus, the said decision cannot be sustained.”
The court pointed out that Singh’s behavior in jail showed “elements of reformation,” pointing out that “even after a long time in jail, there is no record of any bad behavior that would suggest that the petitioner still has elements of criminality.”
The court’s decision throws out the minutes of the SRB meeting dated April 24, 2025, and orders Singh’s case to be looked at again for early release. In India, the Sentence Review Board decides if prisoners, especially those given life sentences, are eligible for early release based on their behavior in prison, how long they have been there, and other signs that they have changed and are ready to rejoin society. Courts have often said that the SRB should not just throw out applications in a mechanical or regular way, but instead focus on “reformation.