New Delhi: Taking exception to the way
parole was granted to Jessica Lall murder case convict Manu
Sharma, the Delhi High Court on Friday pulled up the city
government for giving preferential treatment to convicts
having high connections.
Justice Kailash Gambhir said that in normal cases the
government takes three to six months to decide a parole
application of a convict but in case of Manu Sharma it
disposed off his plea within 20 days.
"The list (regarding number of parole applications)
depicts a dismal picture showing the government is giving
least priority to parole applications of convicts. No doubt
the Home Department has given selective treatment to some
convicts because of their high connections," Justice Gambhir
said.
The Court made the observations on a petition filed by
Sumeer Singh, a convict in the Connaught Place shooting case,
seeking a parole for three months to file an appeal in the
Supreme Court against his conviction on the ground that his
family members were illiterate.
The Court, showing displeasure over the lax approach
of the government, had on November 10 issued notice to the
city government`s Home Secretary to personally appear before
it to explain the delay in dealing with applications of parole
despite its clear directives in this regard.
The court had on the last hearing on November 10 taken
strong exception to the government 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 had said.
The high court had also directed the government to
file a list of parole applications received by it so far this
year.
Sharma, who was released on parole from Tihar jail on
September 22 on the ground of his mother`s illness, was
reportedly spotted in a nightclub in a hotel in the city,
triggering a controversy. He then returned to the Tihar Jail
on his own on Novemeber 10.
PTI
