According to Times of India news report:-
The Supreme Court on Thursday permitted the states to exercise their power to remit the sentences of life convicts if they have already served more than 14 years imprisonment.
The SC had on July 14 last year restrained the states from releasing lifers after remitting their sentences while staying Tamil Nadu government's decision to release Rajiv assassination case convicts on the ground that they had served more than 22 years in prison.
This had closed the traditional window provided to the state governments to exercise remission powers to release life convicts after they served 14 years in jail.
The SC on Thursday lifted this stay but clarified that this relaxation would not apply to cases where the convict has been awarded life term in sexual offence cases.
It also said that the states cannot release those who have been awarded life sentences in cases investigated by the central probe agencies like CBI.
The court also said that the remission of sentences would not be allowed in those cases where the court has specified the period of life imprisonment, like 20 years or 25 years jail term.
The court also recorded that Rajiv assassination case convicts would not be released till it pronounced its final order on the Centre's plea challenging the TN government's decision.