The State of West Bengal has approached the Supreme Court challenging a Delhi High Court direction allowing the premature release of a life-term convict in the 1993 Kolkata (Bowbazar) blast case.

The State's counsel mentioned the matter before the Chief Justice of India for urgent listing. The counsel submitted that the State's Sentence Review Board had recommended against the release of the convict, Md Rashid Khan, who was convicted under the Terrorist and Disruptive Acts Prevention Act.

The bench comprising CJI Surya Kant and Justice V Mohana agreed to list the matter.

It was on June 5 that the Delhi High Court allowed a petition filed by Rashid Khan, who had spent over 33 years in prison. The Hihg Court took into account Petitioner's long period of incarceration, prison conduct and the reformative philosophy underlying premature release.

Directing Khan's release, the High Court observed :

“It has been held that reformation should be the dominant objective of a punishment and during incarceration, every effort should be made to recreate the good man out of a convicted prisoner.”

The 1993 Bowbazar blast occurred on the night of March 16, 1993, in Kolkata, killing 69 people and destroying multiple residential buildings. Triggered by a massive cache of explosives stockpiled by local don Rashid Khan, the devastating event took place just days after the Mumbai serial blasts.