A day after Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann wrote to governor Gulab Chand Kataria seeking parole for Beant Singh assassination convict Jagtar Singh Hawara to attend to his ailing mother, Punjab BJP spokesperson Sarchand Singh Khiala also backed the appeal.
In a statement issued here, Khiala said, “While taking a decision on the matter, the governor should consider all relevant aspects, including Hawara’s mother’s advanced age and deteriorating health. If Hawara is found eligible for parole under the applicable law and prison rules, his request should be considered sympathetically and on humanitarian grounds.”
He said, “Punjab should undoubtedly be governed by the principles of law and justice and not by emotion. But the rule of law does not mean there is no place for human compassion. If an elderly mother, whose health is deteriorating, has a genuine and lawful need to meet her son for a limited period, that humanitarian aspect should also be considered with sensitivity.”
Welcoming the chief minister’s recommendation, the BJP spokesperson said any decision in an individual case should not be influenced by political identity, religious background or political pressure, but should be based on the law, prison regulations and judicial directions.
“Parole should not be construed as remission of sentence, termination of sentence or acquittal. It is a limited, temporary and conditional arrangement governed by law. Therefore, if the prescribed legal requirements are fulfilled, the humanitarian circumstances may be taken into consideration while deciding the parole plea,” he said, adding that if parole was granted, all statutory conditions and security safeguards attached to it must be strictly complied with.
{{/usCountry}}“Parole should not be construed as remission of sentence, termination of sentence or acquittal. It is a limited, temporary and conditional arrangement governed by law. Therefore, if the prescribed legal requirements are fulfilled, the humanitarian circumstances may be taken into consideration while deciding the parole plea,” he said, adding that if parole was granted, all statutory conditions and security safeguards attached to it must be strictly complied with.
{{/usCountry}}Hawara is serving life term at Delhi’s Mandoli jail for the assassination of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh in 1995.
Last month, he approached the high court seeking directions to authorities to release him on parole for four weeks so he could attend to his ailing 81-year-old mother, whose health, according to the plea, is rapidly deteriorating due to advanced age-related physical and cognitive disorders.