Bombay HC denies relief to convict who remained absconding for 3 yrs

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court has dismissed a petition filed by a murder convict challenging an order of jail authorities to debar him permanently for parole.

Ronald Alvares, who is serving life term for murder, had contended that the punishment of permanent removal from `remissions register` was too harsh. In similar cases, he said, others had been given lighter punishment such as withdrawal of canteen facilities for a month. Alvares had faced the action for jumping the parole for three years. The order in question was passed by the Superintendent of Kolhapur Central Prison in October, 2010 after he was rearrested. He had obtained a month`s parole in September, 2006 after submitting that his mother was unwell. He then got an extension of 18 days, but after that he went missing for 1,115 days. Later, he was arrested in January, 2010. Last week, the division bench of Justices PV Hardas and Mridula Bhatkar had dismissed his petition, saying that the punishment inflicted by the authorities was not harsh, and due procedure had been followed. "We do not find any merit in objections based on parity and proportionality of the punishment," the bench said. PTI