The Delhi Prisons Department on Wednesday granted two-day custody parole to former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh assassination convict Jagtar Singh Hawara to enable him to meet his ailing octogenarian mother, an offer that Hawara declined, as he sought regular parole, said people familiar with the matter.
Custody parole is a short-term, supervised release of a convicted prisoner from jail. A police escort stays with the inmate the entire time as they attend urgent family events. Hawara is currently lodged in Central Jail, Mandoli.
The development comes hours after chief minister Bhagwant Mann met Punjab governor and UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria to push for a 10-day parole to Hawara, saying his government was willing to take full responsibility for maintaining the law and order situation during the release period.
“Based on the court’s directions and security review, top officials granted Hawara custody parole of two days. However, he denied it, saying he does not want police protection. He’s a high risk prisoner and we have to deploy staff with him,” said a senior official posted at the Delhi Prisons Department headquarters in Tihar, requesting anonymity.
“It’s not been decided yet whether he’ll be given custody parole or normal parole. Top officials will take a final call,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}“It’s not been decided yet whether he’ll be given custody parole or normal parole. Top officials will take a final call,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}Till the filing of this report, meetings were on between Hawara and Mandoli jail officials to negotiate the parole conditions. Hawara’s counsel Maninder Singh, however, said they have not received any communication regarding parole from the authorities so far.
Mann’s escalates parole demand, meets governor
Earlier, after meeting Kataria, Mann said he was hopeful Hawara would be granted parole as the governor assured him that he would speak to the Union home secretary and fulfil all necessary formalities in this regard. The meeting came four days after the chief minister wrote to the governor, urging him to consider the parole request on “humanitarian grounds.”
Mann said the Punjab government had recommended parole for Hawara to enable him to meet his mother after 31 years. “I have assured the governor that there will be no law and order problem after Hawara is released on parole. His supporters and several Sikh organisations have also assured us that there will be no slogan-shouting or commotion anywhere,” he told reporters.
The CM said the governor, in his capacity as UT administrator, would make a recommendation on the parole request, while the Union home ministry would make the final decision.
“Mata ji is in a semi-conscious state. When Hawara’s name is whispered in her ears, she reacts and blinks her eyes. A mother has been waiting to meet her son after 31 years,” Mann said. He said his government was willing to provide any documents required in connection with the parole request and expressed hope that the convict would soon be with his mother.
Later, responding to media queries at a function in Chandigarh, Kataria said: “We are also viewing it (Mann’s letter) from a humanitarian perspective. Whatever information we have, it has been forwarded.”
Mann’s letter and his meeting with the governor in quick succession, particularly after the state government had opposed the parole only a few months ago, are seen as an attempt to contain the political fallout of the ‘Guru Dokhi’ controversy amid renewed political churn over Panthic votes. The Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De), Shiromani Akali Dal and various Akali factions have all stepped up their efforts to consolidate their support bases ahead from state polls, due in less than six months.
Bittu backs parole for Hawara on humanitarian grounds
Former Union Minister and BJP leader Ravneet Singh Bittu welcomed the “positive report” sent by Kataria to the Union home ministry regarding Hawara’s parole application on humanitarian grounds.
Bittu, who is Beant Singh’s grandson, said he met the governor and thanked him for taking a compassionate and humane view on the matter.
“For the sake of an elderly and unwell mother, Hawara should be granted parole. An elderly mother should not be made to suffer for the actions of her son,” he said.
He expressed hope that the competent authorities would consider the matter expeditiously and take an appropriate decision in accordance with law.
Hawara had submitted the application on June 11, 2025, seeking four weeks’ parole to attend to his ailing mother. As no decision was taken on his application, he moved the court.
On July 6, 2026, the Punjab and Haryana high court directed authorities at Delhi’s Mandoli Central Jail to decide the parole application in a time-bound manner after obtaining comments/recommendations of the Chandigarh administration. The court also laid down the process with timelines for deciding the application. The court directed the superintendent of the Mandoli jail to forward the parole request to the home secretary, UT Chandigarh, within one week of the order. It granted the Chandigarh administration four weeks to submit its comments/ recommendations to the jail superintendent.
“On receipt of the comments/recommendation, the superintendent of the Mandoli jail shall take a decision on the parole application within a further period of two weeks thereafter,” the court directed. Going by the court order, the central government has no direct role in deciding the matter.