The ਪੰਜਾਬ and Haryana High Court has ordered the ਪੰਜਾਬ ਸਰਕਾਰ to pay ₹3 lakh to a man who was kept in jail longer than his sentence. The man, Satnam Singh, was sentenced to one year and six months in jail for having 25 kg of poppy husk. But he ended up spending two years, three months, and 29 days in custody — nearly nine months more than his actual sentence.
Justice Harpreet Singh Brar strongly criticised the State of ਪੰਜਾਬ and the ਜ਼ਿਲ੍ਹਾ Legal Services Authority (DLSA) for this mistake. He called it a serious injustice and said it was a violation of the Constitution that must be fixed.
The judge said that even ਲੋਕ who are convicted of crimes have rights, and the ਸਰਕਾਰ must protect those rights. He added that when the ਸਰਕਾਰ itself wrongly keeps someone in jail, it creates a dangerous situation and damages ਲੋਕ’s trust in the justice system.
The court also pointed out that Satnam Singh was a poor man who could not afford a lawyer to check if he was being kept in jail for too long. This, along with the failure of the DLSA to act on time, led to his illegal detention.
Justice Brar said, “The time lost in jail cannot really be compensated,” but the court still awarded ₹3 lakh to help make up for the mistake. The State has to pay the amount within eight weeks. The judge also said that Satnam Singh can still take further legal action if he wants more compensation.
Lastly, the court said the ਸਰਕਾਰ can take the money back from the officials who were responsible for the mistake.
