File picture of the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court has rejected appeals by state governments to lift its stay order on premature release of prisoners who have been sentenced to life.
A group of state governments led by Karnataka and Tamil Nadu had filed an application in the apex court saying that its order preventing premature release of life-sentence convicts was hindering their law and order processes
The state governments had said that at least prisoners prosecuted by the state police departments should be allowed for early release depending on the discretion of the courts.
However, rejecting the plea, a five-judge constitution bench said, "We can't lift the stay now. We will hear and decide the case once and for all."
The court set July 21 as the date for commencement of arguments in the case.
Earlier, seeking the response of all the state governments on important points on premature release of prisoners, the court had directed them not to prematurely release life-term convicts.
The order had come in the wake of a petition by the Centre last year that called for staying the release of seven convicts in the Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi-assassination case.
The Jayalalithaa government in Tamil Nadu had decided to release the seven convicts after the top court had commuted death sentences of three prisoners to life terms.
The Centre had then moved to the Supreme Court saying that the Tamil Nadu government had no power to release them since they had been charged by the CBI.