Will give special parole to convicts: Delhi Govt to HC

New Delhi, March 23

The AAP government informed the Delhi High Court on Monday that it has decided to decongest prisons to check the spread of coronavirus by providing convicts the options of special parole and furlough.

Parole and furlough mean a temporary release from jail of a prisoner. While the duration of parole is not deducted from period of sentence, the time spent on furlough is as it is a reward given for good conduct.

The Delhi Government told a Bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Subramonium Prasad that it was going to amend its prison rules to provide the options of special parole and furlough.

Another proposal mooted is to amend the prison rules and introduce the expression of 'emergency parole' which shall authorise the government to grant parole for up to eight weeks in one spell, in addition to the regular parole of one month, subject to conditions, Delhi Government's additional standing counsel Anuj Aggarwal said.

He said a notification would be issued within a day to amend the prison rules to include the new provisions.

Parole, under the existing prison rules, means releasing a prisoner for not more than a month to maintain social ties after he or she has served minimum one year of their awarded jail term. — PTI