State plans to tighten parole laws

The Maharashtra government plans to amend its jail manual keeping the Centre’s guidelines in mind, and accordingly may shorten the period of parole for a convict.

Also, if the amendment is passed, the parole period taken by a convict will not be considered part of his prison term period and, so, he would have to spend additional time behind bars.

The move is aimed at deterring convicts from applying for parole. Thus, the state prisons department has proposed to the government that the 90-day period granted to the convict should be excluded while taking into account and computing the sentence.

The proposal means that if a convict avails of parole, those number of days will be added to his or her prison term.

The proposal is relevant as it comes in the wake of Sajjad Moghul, a murder convict, jumping parole. Moghul was serving a life sentence for molesting and murdering 25- year-old law professional Pallavi Purkayastha in Mumbai in 2012.

Eyebrows were also raised when the government released actor Sanjay Dutt — a convict under the Arms Act case — from jail in February this year, days before his scheduled release. The paroles granted to Dutt had also raised a few questions. The actor was released from jail early on grounds of his good behaviour.

Principal secretary, home, Dr Vijay Satbir Singh said that the state had also mooted a clause that a prisoner will have to serve the parole term he or she has availed of as incorporated in the Modern Prison Manual of the central government.

“If approved by the state cabinet, the government will have to amend the law,” he said.

Sources in the state home department said that only those convicts who have a medical or family emergency could apply for parole.

“Besides this, it is now proposed to empower district collector with powers to grant parole, while the divisional commissioner will act as the appellate authority,” the official said.