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Yasin Malik to be lodged alone, not entitled to furlough
Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik will not be assigned any work at Tihar jail due to security reasons, will be lodged alone inside jail number 7 and will not be entitled to any parole or furlough during his prison term.
Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik will not be assigned any work at Tihar jail due to security reasons, will be lodged alone inside jail number 7 and will not be entitled to any parole or furlough during his prison term, officials said on Wednesday.
Malik, who was earlier in the day awarded life imprisonment by a Delhi court in a terror funding case, will be among over 3,500 convicts in the country’s largest Tihar prison complex and will be one of the most guarded prisoners at the premises, they added.
“Convicts are usually given different jobs. It could be in the prison’s carpentry unit, bakery, or even managing the library and kitchen. A majority of the convicts are usually shifted to jail 2 where they are assigned jobs based on their skills. In Malik’s case, due to security reasons, he will be kept alone in the same cell in jail 7,” a mid-level prison officer said on condition of anonymity.
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“Malik’s security will be routinely monitored by the Intelligence Bureau besides jail officers,” the prison officer added.
Another such prisoner, who is lodged alone and has no access to prison inmates, is former underworld don Chhota Rajan. He is lodged in another part of the prison.
Barring the elderly, sick and those who choose not to work, every prisoner can find jobs in different factories within the prison complex. These prisoners are paid for the jobs they choose.
A skilled worker is capable of earning ₹308 for a day’s work. A semi-skilled worker can earn around ₹248 while an unskilled worker can earn ₹138 per day.
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Unlike other convicts, Malik will not be eligible for parole or furlough since he has been convicted in a terror funding case, a second mid-level jail officer said.
“Convicts are allowed parole and furlough after three years of their sentence. In Malik’s case, he will not be entitled. Convicts with terror cases are not considered for parole and furlough according to the prison manual. He will be able to apply for premature release only after completing at least 14 years in prison. His case will then be decided by the Sentence Review Board,” the second officer said on condition of anonymity.
“But records show that convicts involved in terror cases do not easily get a nod from the board for their release. Even in the recent case of (1993 Delhi bomb blast case) convict Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar, his case was rejected at least twice by the board,” the officer added.
Even if Malik requests for a transfer to a prison in Kashmir in the coming years and the government accepts his demand, he will still be bound by the rules of the Delhi Prison Manual related to parole or premature release, a third officer said.
Hours before the separatist leader was brought to the prison on Wednesday, senior Delhi Police officers arrived at the complex to oversee security arrangements. A bomb disposal squad and a dog squad were present at Patiala House court complex during the verdict.
