Nishan Singh Jaimal Singh Sohel was just a teenager when he was arrested by the Maharashtra police in December 1991 for terrorist activities. Now if the state government has its way, Sohel will not be walking free for another 33 years or till he attains the age of 65.

Sohel, who operated for the Khalistan Commando Force in the state, has since been in prison — first as an undertrial and later as a convict following a life sentence awarded by a designated TADA court in March 1997. The police had recovered explosives, AK-47 rifles, detonators, grenades and magazines from him.

The state government had, in a letter to the Inspector General of Prisons in September 2006, stated that “it is clear that the convict and his co-accused have committed murder with the use of weapons/explosives for the cause of Khalistan”.

“Considering the seriousness of the crime and its social implications, the convict's political philosophy and the premeditated manner in which the offences have been committed, like wise taking into account the present age (31), your recommendation to release him prematurely as per his 14-year report is rejected,” Avinash Sable, Under Secretary to the Home Department, had stated.

He also stated that the government will consider his premature release only after he undergoes a minimum 50 years of actual imprisonment or on completion of 65 years of age.

Sohel had earlier moved the Bombay High Court, seeking premature release. However, the court dismissed the petition as infructuous after the government produced the letter from the Home Department.

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