Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: The Bombay High Court at Goa has overturned the State government’s order rejecting the premature release plea of Rohan Pai Dhungat, convicted in the 2006 murder of Mandar Surlakar. The Court held that the government failed to properly evaluate the recommendation of the State Sentence Review (SSR) Board before denying his application.
A Division Bench of Justices Sarang Kotwal and Ashish Chavan has now asked the government to reassess Dhungat’s plea within two weeks, strictly in accordance with the Goa Prisons Rules, 2006.
Calling the State’s decision “erroneous and unjustified,” the Court set aside the August 20, 2025 order and directed that Dhungat’s application be reconsidered by giving appropriate weight to the SSR Board’s findings. While the government may also look at the opinion of the trial court’s Presiding Officer, the judges clarified that such a view cannot be the sole basis for rejecting the plea.
The Bench noted that the SSR Board had strongly endorsed Dhungat’s premature release after reviewing his age at the time of arrest, the period he has already served, and his behaviour during incarceration. It highlighted that Dhungat had been granted parole or furlough 24 times without any negative reports and that authorities including the District Magistrate, Probation Officer, IPHB, and the Inspector General of Prisons had all recommended his release.
The judges criticised the State for disregarding this “comprehensive evaluation” while issuing the rejection order.
Dhungat, in his petition, had argued that the government had dismissed his plea mechanically, ignoring the SSR Board’s favourable recommendation despite being required to consider it.
The Court has granted him liberty to pursue further legal remedies if the State once again rules against him after the fresh review.
