Delhi HC grants parole to 55-year-old gang rape convict

Delhi High Court grants four weeks' parole to gang rape convict Tasleem after his sister's death, allowing him to attend last rites with family.

The Delhi High Court on Sunday granted four weeks’ parole to a 55-year-old gang rape convict after his sister died Sunday morning.

Delhi high court.

The convict, Tasleem, had sought eight weeks’ parole to attend the last rites and be with his family during the bereavement. He said the cremation was slated to be held at 5pm at a graveyard in Mayur Vihar.

Delhi Police’s sub-inspector confirmed the death and did not object to the grant of four weeks’ parole.

Taking note of the circumstances, justice Sanjeev Narula ordered his release on furnishing a personal bond of ₹10,000. In its two-page order, the court also directed him to report to the concerned SHO every Monday, provide his mobile number, keep it active at all times, and surrender before the jail authorities upon completion of the parole period.

Tasleem was awarded life imprisonment for the gang rape of a woman in 1997. His appeal against the trial court’s 1999 order was rejected by the high court in 2015 and by the Supreme Court two years later.

In 2025, he had moved the high court seeking premature release. On October 8, the high court had directed the personal appearance of the Tihar Director General of Prisons and the Delhi government’s home secretary, expressing concern that prison authorities were handling matters related to convicts’ early release in a “perfunctory and superficial” manner.

On November 6, his sister, who was battling post-tuberculosis lung complications and was on long-term oxygen support, was shifted to the Intensive Care Unit. The following day, the court granted Tasleem a one-day custody parole, permitting him to visit her on November 8 between 10am and 5pm.