Parole granted to killer who had ‘17-year furlough’

Mumbai: The Bombay high court has granted five days’ parole to a murderer who evaded the authorities for 17 years while on furlough leave. The court has set aside the DIG (prison)’s order of refusing parole to a murderer whose daughter’s marriage ceremony is going to be held on December 23. The court, while granting permission, specified that the applicant would have to bear the cost of the police escort.

A division bench of Justice R.M. Savant and Justice V.K. Jadhav was hearing a petition filed by Vedprakash Virendraku-mar Singh who is incarcerated for life in Yerwada prison for committing murder.

In the month of November 2018, Singh had applied for parole (leave for emergency) with the DIG prisons, western reg-ion, Yerwada, Pune-6. In his application he stated that his daughter was getting married on December 23 and marriage was going to be conducted at Sultanpur district, Uttar Pradesh.

On November 15, DIG prison rejected his application, citing that in the year 2001 he went outside the prison on furlough and did not return back to jail. The police was searching for him for 17 years and he was arrested on February 9, 2018 — meaning he did not report for 6,035 days.

The police also booked him under section 224 of the IPC, which is concerned with person escaping from custody and restrain his arrest. DIG Pune has considered this aspect also and rejected his parole.

The court, however, granting parole considered the April 16, 2018 notification of the state and the fact that the accused’s daughter is getting married in December. The court also considered Prison Rule 19 (B), which says emergency leave has to be granted to a prisoner if it is concerned with the health and marriage of his family members.