HC frames new guidelines for parole

Prisoners denied parole due to unfair adverse reports by police authorities have reason to cheer. The Bombay high court recently framed guidelines to be adopted by authorities while granting parole.

Prisoners denied parole due to unfair adverse reports by police authorities have reason to cheer. The Bombay high court recently framed guidelines to be adopted by authorities while granting parole.

The court was hearing a petition filed by a convict in Aurangabad Prison, Johny, alias Abdul Shaikh, after the divisional commissioner rejected his application for parole, which he wanted to visit his ailing mother, in June this year.

After going through records, a division bench of justice A H Joshi and justice A R Joshi noted that Shaikh had no punishment and who had always reported to prison in time after availing parole.

The court noted that the senior officer, the divisional commissioner in this case, might have rejected the application due to the misleading report of the lower rung officials.

“We find that there is a systemic fault in the manner of scrutiny of the applications of prisoners,” the court held.