New Delhi: On a day when the Delhi
government's decision to grant parole to Manu Sharma,
convicted in model Jessica Lall murder case, drew flak, the
Delhi High Court today pulled it up for not abiding by court
directions on such pleas of other convicts.
Justice Kailash Gambhir directed the Delhi government's
Home Secretary to personally appear before it to explain the
delay in dealing with applications on parole.
The court took strong exception to the government for
not following its directions with regard to parole matters.
"Already this court has given direction that the parole
applications moved by the convicts be given due priority and
the same be decided within a period of 10 days and it appears
that the directions given by this court are being implemented
more in violations than in compliance," the court said.
"Let the secretary (home) Government of NCT of Delhi
remain present in the court to apprise this court as to why
such an unusual delay takes place in parole matters," the
court said.
The court passed the order on a petition filed by Sumeer
Singh, a convict in the Connaught Place shooting case, seeking
a parole of three months to file an appeal in the Supreme
Court against his conviction on the ground that his other
family members were illiterate.
The court, after hearing his plea issued a notice to the
Delhi police and posted the matter for further hearing on
November 20.
Manu Sharma, serving life sentence for murder of Lall,
returned to Tihar Jail today 12 days before his parole expired
in the wake of a controversy raged over alleged parole
violation by him.
The High Court also directed the government to file a
list of parole applications received by it so far this year.
"The secretary shall also apprise this court as to how
many such applications are pending for consideration before
the department and also disclose the date of receipt of those
applications," the court said.
Bureau Report
First Published: Tuesday, November 10, 2009, 21:59