RESEARCH PAPER

CRIMINAL LAW
SENTENCE

NIDEESH.V.B
 Execution of sentence and other connected matters

Execution of sentences

Sentence of death

1. execution procedure-when a sentence of death is passed by the court of session and on the
reference is confirmed by the high court under section 368, or when a sentence of death is passed
by the high court in appeal or in revision, the court of session shall, on receiving the order of the
high court, cause the sentence to be carried into effect by issuing a warrant in the prescribed form
to the officer in charge of the jail for the proper execution of the sentence.

Section-413-When in a case submitted to the High Court for the confirmation of a sentence of
death, the Court of Session receives the order of confirmation or other order of the High Court
thereon, it shall cause such order to be carried into effect by issuing a warrant or taking such
other steps as may be necessary.

Section -414-When a sentence of death is passed by the High Court in appeal or in revision, the
court of session shall, on receiving the order of the court, the court of session shall, on receiving
the order of the High Court, cause the sentence to be carried into effect by issuing a warrant.

When the sentence of death has been duly executed, the officer executing the same shall return
the warrant to the Court of Session, with an endorsement under his hand certifying the manner in
which the sentence has been executed. This is said under section 430 of the criminal procedural
code.

Section 430.When a sentence has been fully executed, the officer executing it shall return the
warrant to the court from which it is issued, with an endorsement under his hand certifying the
manner in which the sentence has been executed.

 
2. postponement of execution of death sentence-(a) in case of possibility of appeal to the
supreme court-where there is a legal possibility of the offender appealing to the supreme court
against the sentence of death, the appeal should not be rendered infractuous by prompt execution
of the sentence. Appeals to the Supreme Court in such cases are possible 1. Under sub clause (a)
or sub-clause(b) of article 134(1);or(ii) on a certificate of fitness granted by the high court under
article 132 or article 134(1) (c) ;or (iii) after obtaining special leave from the supreme court
under article 136 of the constitution. In all such case section 415 requires that the high court shall
order the execution of the death sentence to be postponed -

(i) until the period allowed for preferring any such appeal has expired or if an appeal has been
preferred within that period, until such appeal is disposed off; or

(ii) until any application made for a certificate of fitness is disposed off; if such a certificate is
granted then the execution should be further postponed till the period of limitation for preferring
an appeal to the supreme court has expired; or

(iii) in case the person sentenced to death intends to obtain from the supreme court special leave
to appeal, until the expiry of period reasonably sufficient to approach the supreme court for
obtaining such special leave.

Section.415. Postponement of execution of sentence of death in case of appeal to Supreme Court.

(1) Where a person is sentenced to death by the High Court and an appeal from its judgment lies
to the Supreme Court under sub-clause (a) or sub-clause (b) of clause (1) of Article 134 of the
Constitution, the High Court shall order the execution of the sentence to be postponed until the
period allowed for preferring such appeal has expired, or if an appeal is preferred within that
period, until such appeal is disposed of. 

(2) where a sentence of death is passed of confirm by the high court, and the person sentenced
makes an application to the High Court for the grant of a certificate under Article 132 or under
sub-clause (c) of clause (1) of article 134 of the Constitution, the High Court shall order the
execution of the sentence to be postponed until such application is disposed of by the High
Court, or if a certificate is granted on such application until the period allowed for preferring an
appeal to the Supreme Court on such certificate has expired.

(3) Where a sentence of death is passed or confirmed by the High Court, and the High Court is
satisfied that the person sentenced intends to present a petition to the Supreme Court for the grant
of special leave to appeal under Article 136 of the Constitution, the High Court shall order the
execution of the sentence to be postponed for such period as it considers sufficient to enable him
to present such petition.

Once the Supreme Court entertains an appeal or grants special leave, it would order the stay of
the execution of the sentence during the pendency of the appeal proceedings before it

(b) in case of a pregnant woman-if a woman sentenced to death if found to be pregnant the high
court shall order the execution of the sentence to be postponed ; and may in its discretion.
Commute the sentence to imprisonment for life sec (416)

Section.416. Postponement of capital sentence on pregnant woman. If a woman sentenced to

death is found to be pregnant, the High Court shall order the execution of the sentence to be
postponed and may, if thinks fit commute the sentence to imprisonment for life.

3. Sentence of death on escaped convict- when a sentence of death is passed on an escaped

convict who was undergoing any sentence when he escaped, such death sentenced shall take
effect immediately. Sec (426) (1)

II. Sentence of imprisonment for life or of imprisonment

1. Execution-for the execution of the sentence of imprisonment for life or of imprisonment, the
court passing such sentence is to send a warrant to the jail in which the person so sentenced is to
be confined, along with such person. However, when the sentence is one of imprisonment till the
rising of the court, it shall not be necessary to prepare and forward any warrant to a jail, and the
accused may be confined in a place as directed by the court.sec 418(1)

Section 418. Execution of sentence of imprisonment.(1) Where the accused is sentenced to

imprisonment for life or to imprisonment for a term in cases other than those provided for by
section 413, the Court passing the sentence shall forthwith forward a warrant to the jail or other
place in which he is, or is to be, confined, and, unless the accused is already confined in such jail
or other place, shall forward him to such jail or other place, with the warrant:
Provided that where the accused is sentenced to imprisonment till the rising of the Court, it shall
not be necessary to prepare or forward a warrant to a jail and the accused may be confined in
such place as the court may direct.
In cases where the accused is present in court at the time the sentenced is passed, the sentence of
imprisonment commences from the time it is passed. In cases where the accused is not so present
in court, the court shall issue a warrant for his arrest for the purpose of forwarding him to jail; an
in such a case, the sentence of imprisonment shall commence on the date of his arrest. Sec
418(2)

Section 418(2) Where the accused is not present in Court when he is sentenced to such
imprisonment as is mentioned in subsection (1), the court shall issue a warrant for his arrest for
the purpose of forwarding him to jail or other place in which he is to be confined and in such
case the sentence shall commence on the date of his arrest.

In case of each prisoner a separate warrant for the execution of the sentence of imprisonment
showing its definite period shall be directed to the officer in charge of the jail and the same shall
be lodged with him.[sec 419 & sec 420]

2. Sequence of execution of two or more sentences of imprisonment -when a person

already undergoing a sentence of imprisonment is sentenced on a subsequent conviction to
imprisonment or imprisonment for life, such imprisonment or imprisonment for life shall
commence at the expiration of the previous imprisonment. However, the court may in its
discretion direct that the subsequent sentence shall run concurrently with the previous
sentence.sec 427(1). The discretion is to be exercised judicially and not in arbitrary
manner.inherent powers of the high court can be invoked under sec 482 even if the trial court or
the appellate or the revisional court has not exercised its discretion under sec 427(1). In a case
where separate trials are held for offences which while constituting distinct offences are
inherently of intimately connected with other, the direction to make the subsequent sentence run
concurrently with a previous one has been held to be exercised.
Where a second passed on the accused was to commence on the expiration of the first sentence,
and the first sentence was subsequently set aside, the second sentence would commence from the
date of conviction and the period of imprisonment already undergone in respect of the first
sentence would be deemed to have been in respect of the second sentence.

It has been rightly held that imprisonment in default of payment of fine cannot be concurrent
with a substantive sentence of imprisonment.

When a person already undergoing life imprisonment is sentenced on a subsequent charge to

sentence of life imprisonment the sentences shall run concurrently sec 427(2) and if any revision
or commutation in respect of the earlier term is granted, the new sentence should commence
thereafter.

Generally, the person sentenced to pay fine must deposit the fine forthwith. The court has
however the discretion to permit him to pay it after some time. If he does not pay within the time
thus stipulated, he immediately incurs the liability of being sent to prison.

3. Sentence on escaped convict when to take affect - when a sentence of imprisonment

for a term is passed on a escaped convict –

a. If such sentence is severer in kind than the sentence which such convict was undergoing when
he escaped, shall take effect immediately;

b. if such sentence is not severer in kind, the new sentence shall take effect after he has suffered
imprisonment for the further period equal to that which, at the time of his escape remained
unexpired of his former sentence.sec 462 (2)

a sentence of rigorous imprisonment is considered severer in kind than a sentence of simple

imprisonment.sec 426 (3)

4.pre-conviction detention to be set off against the sentence of imprisonment- where

a person has been convicted and sentenced to imprisonment for a term (not being an
imprisonment in default of payment of fine), the period of detention, if any, undergone by him
during the investigation , enquiry or the trial of the same case and before the date of such
conviction, shall be set off against the term imposed on him on such conviction and his liability
to undergo imprisonment shall be restricted to the remainder if any of the term of imprisonment
imposed on him.sec 428

The procedure to invoke sec 428 above could be a miscellaneous application by the accused to
the court (at any time while the sentence of imprisonment runs) for a passing of an appropriate
order for reducing the term of imprisonment which is the mandate of the section.

The question whether a person who remained on bail could have the benefit of setting off the
period so spent has consistently been answered in the negative by the courts. Still because in the
scheme introduced by the Punjab government, the word ‘bail’ was mentioned this question
became relevant. The Supreme Court, however, set the dispute to rest by sticking to its position.

Till some time a person sentenced to imprisonment for life could not get the benefit of setoff
under sec 428 as, according to the courts, “imprisonment for life” could not be taken as
“imprisonment for a term” as required under sec 428. The benefit of set of was not given even to
those life convicts whose sentence to imprisonment for life was later commuted to imprisonment
for a fixed term by the order of the state government under sec 433, since the sentence of
imprisonment for a term in such cases was not one imposed by a court on conviction as
contemplated by sec 428.

It has later been categorically ruled by the Supreme Court that imprisonment for life is
imprisonment for a term for the purpose of application of sec 428 and the life convicts would be
entitled to the benefit of setoff under sec 428.

The benefit of set off has been extended to persons convicted under the border security force act,
1968. However, it has been held to be inapplicable to persons convicted by a court martial. It is
also not applicable to a person preventably detained under COFEPOSA.

The period of detention which sec 428 allows to be set off against the term of imprisonment
imposed on the accused on his conviction must be during the investigation inquiry or trial in
connection with the “same case” in which he has been convicted. But sec 428 is absolute in its
terms. It provides for setoff of the preconviction detention of an accused person against the term
of imprisonment imposed on him on conviction, whatever be the term of imprisonment imposed
and whatever be the factors taken into account by the court while imposing the term of
imprisonment.

An interesting question as to whether convict sentence to imprisonment in two cases could claim.
The benefit of setoff envisaged in sec 428 in both the case was examined by the Supreme Court
in state of Maharashtra v/s najakat alia Mubarak Ali. A two member bench of the Supreme Court
in raghubir Singh v/s state of Haryana had earlier held that only in one case this could be given.
A three judge bench constituted to review this position disagreed the earlier decision.

The sec has to be applied even handedly and uniformly in all cases and it is immaterial whether
the accused is convicted in one case or many. Whether simultaneously or at different times. It is
also immaterial whether the sentences of imprisonment in the different cases are to run
concurrently or consecutively. Further, whether such pretrial detention is common, in whole or in
part, in two or more cases is of no consequence to the application of sec 428.a person undergoing
preconviction detention is entitled to claim setoff under sec 428 in each of the cases. In case of
the accused released on bail in a case if rearrested and detained in another case, he would not be
entitled to set off the period of detention during investigation of the subsequent case so far as his
sentence in the first case is concerned.

428. Period of detention undergone by the accused to be set off against the sentence of
imprisonment. Where an accused person has, on conviction, been sentenced to imprisonment, for
a term [not being imprisonment in default of payment of fine,] the period of detention, if any,
undergone by him during the investigation, inquiry or trial of the same case and before the date
of such conviction shall be set off against the term of imprisonment imposed on him on such
conviction, and the liability of such person to undergo imprisonment on such conviction shall be
restricted to the remainder, if any, of the term of imprisonment imposed on him.

The benefit of set of has extended to cases referred to in sec 433-A. that means the period of
actual imprisonment of 14 years will also be subject to set off.

5. Return of warrant on execution- when a sentence has been fully executed, the officer
executing it shall return the warrant to the court from which it is issued, with an endorsement
under his hand certifying the manner in which the sentence has been executed (sec 430)
III. Sentence of fine

1. Execution by issuing a warrant for levy of fine- the court imposing a sentence of fine
may –

a. Issue a warrant for the levy of the amount of fine by attachment and sale of any movable
property of the offender; and / or

b. issue a warrant to the collector of the district, authorizing him to realize the amount as arrears
of land revenue from the movable or immovable property or both, of the defaulter.

If the sentence direct that in default of payment of fine, the offender shall be imprisoned, and if
such offender has undergone the whole of such imprisonment in default, no court shall issue such
warrant for the levy if fine unless, for special reasons to be recorded in riting, it considers it
necessary so to do, or unless it has made an order for the payment of expenses or compensation
out of the fine under sec 357(S421) (i)

Section.421. Warrant for levy of fine.(1) When an offender has been sentenced to pay a the court
passing the sentence make action for the recovery of the fine in either or- both of the following
ways, that is to say, it may -(a) Issue a warrant for the levy of the amount by attachment and sale
of any movable property belonging to the offender (b) Issue a warrant to the Collector of the
district, authorizing him to realize the amount as arrears of land revenue from the movable or
immovable property, or both of the defaulters; Provided that, if the sentence directs that in
default of payment of the fine, the offender shall be imprisoned, and if such offender has
undergone the whole of such imprisonment in default, no court shall issue such warrant unless,
for special reasons to be recorded in writing, it considers it necessary so to do, or unless it has
made an order for the payment of expenses or compensation out of the fine under section 357.

(2) The State Government may make rules regulating the manner in which warrants under clause
(a) of sub-section (1) are to be executed, and for the summary determination of any claims made
by any person other than the offender in respect of any property attached in execution of such
warrant.
(3) Where the court issues a warrant to the Collector under clause (b) of sub-section (1), the
Collector shall realize the amount in accordance with the law relating to recovery of arrears of'
land revenue, as if such warrant were a certificate issued under such law:

Provided that no such warrant shall be executed by the arrest or detention in prison of the
offender.

The special reasons referred to above should be reasons accounting for the fact of non recovery
of the fine before the sentence in default has been served any reasons directed to that point would
be relevant. The reasons which turn upon the nature of the gravity of an offence cannot be
characterized as special reasons for the above said purpose.

A warrant issued by any court under clause (a) may be executed within the local jurisdiction of
such court and if endorsed by the district magistrate concerned, it shall authorize the attachment
and sale of any such property outside the local jurisdiction of the court issuing the warrant.
(S422)

Section.422. Effect of such warrant. A warrant issued under clause (a) of sub-section (1) of
section 421 by any court may be executed within the local jurisdiction of such court, and it shall
authorise the attachment and sale of any such property outside such jurisdiction, when it is
endorsed by the District Magistrate within whose local Jurisdiction such property is found.

 2. Suspension of execution of the sentence in default-(A) when an offender has been sentence to
fine only and to imprisonment in default of payment of the fine, and the fine is not paid
forthwith, the court may-

a. order that the fine shall be payable-

i. in full by a fixed date falling within 30 days from the date of order, or

ii. in 2 or 3 instalments the first of which shall be payable by a fixed date falling within 30 days
from the date of the order and the other instalments at an interval of not more than 30 days;
b. suspend the execution of the sentence of imprisonment and release the offender on the
execution by him of a bond (with or without sureties) for his appearance before the court on the
date or dates by which the payment of fine or instalments thereof is to be made; and if such
amount of fine or instalment is not realized by the latest dated of payment as ordered, the court
may discrete the sentence of imprisonment to be carried into execution at once (sec 422) (I)

(B) when an award of imprisonment in default of payment of a fine is annexed to a substantive

sentence of imprisonment and the person undergoing the sentence is, after its execution, to
undergo a further substantive sentence or sentences of imprisonment, effect shall not be given to
the award of imprisonment in default of payment of the fine until the person has undergone the
further sentence or sentences(S 429)(ii)

3.money ordered to be paid recoverable as a fine- where any money is payable by virtue
of any order made under the code, but the method of its recovery is not expressly provided for,
such money shall be recoverable as if it were a fine.(S 431)

Section.431. Money ordered to be paid recoverable as a fine.Any money (other than a fine)
payable by virtue of any order made under this Code, and the method of recovery of which is not
otherwise expressly provided for, shall be recoverable as if it were a fine. 

Provided that section 421 shall, in its application to an order under section 359, by virtue of this
section, be construed as if in the proviso to sub-section (1) of section 421, after the words and
figures "under section 357", the words and figures "or an order for payment of costs under
section 359" had been inserted.

 
 PART-II

SUSPENSION, REMISSION AND COMMUTATION OF

SENTENCES.

1. suspension or remission of sentences- apart from the powers conferred on the president
of India and the governors of state by articles 72 and 161 of the constitution to suspend, remit or
commute any sentence, sec 432 of the code empowers the appropriate government to suspend or
remit sentence as follows;

i. when a person has been sentenced to punishment for an offence, the appropriate government
may, at any time and with or without conditions suspend the execution of a sentence or remit the
whole or part of the punishment.

ii. On receiving any application for the suspension or remission of a sentence, the appropriate
government may require the court concerned (a) to state its opinion as to whether the application
should be granted or refused, and also (b) to forward with the statement of such opinion a
certified copy of the record of the trial.

iii. the appropriate government may cancel the suspension or remission of a sentence, if in its
opinion the condition for granting such suspension or remission is not fulfilled; the offender may
thereupon, if at large be arrested by any police officer(without a warrant) and remanded to
undergo the unexpired portion of the sentence.

iv. The condition on which the sentence is suspended or remitted may be one to be fulfilled by
the offender or one independent of his will.

While commuting sentence for fine, the courts usually impose conditions non-compliance of
which may revive the sentence.

It may be noted that on breach of any condition of suspension or remission, the sentence is not
automatically revived. It is only when the government chooses to pass an order of cancellation of
the suspension or remission that the convict is arrested and is required to serve the unexpired
portion of the sentence.
There have been a number of decisions by various high courts reversing executing orders,
ordering premature release of prisoners on one ground or the other. The courts have ruled that
the appropriate government has power to classify the prisoners for the purpose of granting a
remission. But this does not mean that the court can grant special remission to the offenders
belonging to sc and st tribes. Its power to grant premature release is subject to sec 433-A. no
special consideration is, however, to be extended to dignitaries like mla’s in granting premature
release. The courts have been considering various aspects such as heinousness of the crime or the
possibility of the offender getting reformed, in granting or not granting premature release.

Under the law as it stands, a person sentenced to imprisonment for life is bound to serve the life
term in prison unless the appropriate authority commutes or remits the sentence in the exercise of
the powers given under sections 432-433 of the code. It has been held by the Supreme Court that
the government as authority to treat period of parole as part of imprisonment for the purposes of
S- 433. It has also been held that the period during which a convict was on bail cannot be
remitted since only an operative part of sentence would be remitted. As the sentence of
imprisonment for life is a sentence of indefinite duration, the remission earned according to the
rules under the prison act does not in practice help such a convict as it is not possible to predicate
the time of his death. Such remission probably may help the government in deciding to exercise
its powers to remit the remaining part of the sentence of life imprisonment.

2. Commutation of sentence

The appropriate government may, without the consent of the person sentenced, commute-

i. a sentence of death, for any other punishment provided by the Indian penal code;

ii. A sentence for imprisonment for life, for imprisonment for a term not exceeding 14 years of
for fine;

iii. A sentence of rigorous imprisonment, for simple imprisonment for any term to which that
person might have been sentenced, or for fine;

iv. A sentence of simple imprisonment, for fine(S 433)

While commuting a sentence for fine, the courts usually impose conditions non compliance of
which may revive the sentence. It may be noted that sec. 54, 55 and 55-a of the Indian penal code
confer similar powers of the government.

3. Restriction on powers of remission or commutation.

Notwithstanding anything contained in sec 432 where a sentence of imprisonment for life is
imposed on conviction of a person for an offence for which death is one of the punishments
provided by law or where a sentence of death imposed on a person has been commuted under sec
433 into one for imprisonment for life, such person shall not be released from prison unless he
had served at least 14years of imprisonment. (S 433-A). The Supreme Court has retreated that it
is the prerogative of the appropriate government to grant premature release. It overruled high
courts orders granting release to murder convicts before they completed 14 years sentence.

The supreme court of India has upheld the constitutional validity of sec 433-A.

There have been some decisions which tend to water down the severity of sec 433-A. for e.g.
The m.p high court has come up with a thesis that the periods of sentence served by prisoners
without absolute freedom such as conditional release may be treated as imprisonment that could
be counted towards the 14 years required under sec433-A. Periods spent on parole is treated as
part of imprisonment.

4. Concurrent power of central government in case of death sentences.

The powers conferred by sec 432 and 433 above upon the state government may, in case of
sentences of death, also be exercised by the central government.(S 434)

5. State government to act after consultation with central government in certain cases.

In respect of certain matters mentioned in sec 435 in which the central government would be
vitally interested, the state government is required to exercise its powers of remission and
commutation of sentences only after consultation with the central government.(S 435).
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I WOULD LIKE TO THANK MY PROFESSOR MR.SURESH BABU, FOR GIVING ME THE

OPPURTUNITY TO WORK ON THIS PROJECT. I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE LIBRARY
STAFF FOR GUIDEING ME IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION IN MY RESEARCH WORK ON
THIS SUBJECT.
BIBLOGRAPHY

R.V.KELKAR’S LECTURS ON CRIMINAL PROCEDURE

R.V.KELKAR’S CRIMINAL PROCEDURE, FOURTH EDITION

RATANLAL AND DHIRAJLAL, THE CODE OF CRIMINAL PROCEDURE

CONTENTS

PART 1- EXECUTION OF SENTANCES

1. SENTANCE OF DEATH

2. SENTANCE OF IMPRISONMENT FOR LIFE OR OF IMPRISONMENT

3. SENTANCE OF FINE

PART II- SUSPENSION, REMISSION AND COMMUTATION OF

SENTANCES

1. SUSPENSION OR REMISSION OF SENTANCES

2. COMUTATION OF SENTANCES

3. RESTRICTION ON POWERS OF REMISSION OR COMMUTATION

4. CONCURRENT POWER OF CENTRAL GOVERNEMENT IN CASE OF

DEATH SEANTENCE

5. STATE GOVERNMENT TO ACT AFTER CONSULTATION WITH

CENTRAL GOVERNEMENT IN CERTAIN CASES