Parole granted to 89 inmates with multiple convictions, Haryana tells Punjab and Haryana High Court

Bench was also told that direction had been issued for strict compliance of court orders on not considering Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh’s case for further parole without its permission

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Tribune News Service

Saurabh Malik

Chandigarh, March 14

The State of Haryana has told the Punjab and Haryana High Court that the benefit of parole and furlough was granted to 89 inmates convicted and sentenced in three or more cases “having life term and fixed term sentences”

In an affidavit placed before the Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia and Justice Lapita Banerji, the State submitted the information in this regard was received from all the superintendants of jails in the State tell February 29.

The Bench was also told that direction had been issued for strict compliance of court orders on not considering Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh’s case for further parole without its permission. The court direction is to remain in force till further orders.

The information was furnished about a fortnight after Haryana was asked to submit an affidavit on the grant of parole to number of persons “having such criminal antecedents and sentenced in three cases” while taking up a petition against the benefit to ram Rahim.

The direction against parole to Ram Rahim came after the Bench observed that he was released for 91 days each in 2022 and 2023. Referring to a chart mentioning the details of parole/furlough granted to him, the Bench observed it made “interesting reading” keeping in view the background and the antecedents of respondent-Ram Rahim convicted in three cases against him.

“It is also to be noticed that in spite of the pendency of the present petition in which notice of motion was issued on January 29, 2023, the State Haryana has still chosen to grant him indulgence of parole again on July 20, 2023, November 21, 2023 and January 19 for a period of 30, 21 and 50 days,” the Bench observed.

The Bench was hearing a petition filed by the Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee challenging the order granting temporary release. The Bench had added it would like the State of Haryana to furnish an affidavit on the grant of the benefit to number of persons “having such criminal antecedents and sentenced in three cases”.

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