Remission
Topic: Union Executive: President, Vice-President, Prime Minister and Council of Ministers · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Remission means cutting the length of a sentence without changing its type. The person is still convicted and still serves the same kind of punishment, only for a shorter time. It is one of the five forms of the pardoning power of the President (Art. 72) and the Governor (Art. 161). It is used on the government's advice.
Example
A sentence of two years' rigorous imprisonment is reduced to one year's rigorous imprisonment. The punishment is still rigorous imprisonment, but it is now half as long.
Don't confuse with
- Commutation: it changes the type of punishment (rigorous to simple imprisonment). Remission changes only the length.
- Respite: it gives a lighter sentence because of a special fact about the offender. Remission needs no such special fact.
Related concepts
- Pardoning power of the President
- Pardon
- Commutation
- Respite
- Reprieve
- Maru Ram case
- Kehar Singh case
- Epuru Sudhakar case