High Court asks courts to comply with panel’s parole advice

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, April 5

The High Court has directed all subordinate courts in Jammu and Kashmir to comply with the recommendations of the high-powered committee with regard to the grant of special parole to prisoners amid Covid pandemic.

The High Court has also sought an action-taken report from all Principal District and Sessions Judges in this regard by the next date of hearing.

“The Registry has received an e-mail dated April2, 2020 from the Staff Officer to the Director-General of Police (Prisons) forwarding the order dated April 1, 2020 passed by the High-Powered Committee (comprising of Justice Rajesh Bindal-J, Executive Chairperson, JKSLSA and its Chairman; Shaleen Kabra, Secretary, Home; BK Singh, DGP (Prisons) and MK Sharma, Member Secretary, JKSLSA. A corrigendum dated April1, 2020 to the said order has also been forwarded”, a Division Bench of the High Court headed by Chief Justice Gita Mittal said in its orders passed on a PIL concerning Covid pandemic, which was heard by it through videoconferencing on Saturday.

“These orders make several directions which the district courts have to comply”, the Bench said in its orders while directing all Principal Districts and Sessions Judges to ensure that the orders of the High Powered Committee were complied with forthwith. The court further directed the judges to send their respective compliance reports to MK Sharma, Member Secretary, JK Legal Services Authority (JKSLSA), before the next date of hearing, with further directions to Sharma to place the summary of the action in this regard before the Bench on April 10, the next date of hearing.