Document Fragment View

Matching Fragments

CORAM:

HON'BLE THE CHIEF JUSTICE HON'BLE MS. JUSTICE SANGITA DHINGRA SEHGAL MS. G. ROHINI, CHIEF JUSTICE (ORAL)
1. The issue regarding the need for amendments to Parole/Furlough Guidelines, 2010 has been raised in all these petitions filed by way of Public Interest Litigation.
2. While W.P.(C) No.3892/2011 has been filed challenging the constitutional validity of Rule 75 of the Delhi Prisons (Admission, Classification, Separation, Remission, Reward & Release of Prisoners) Rules, 1988 as well as the Parole/Furlough Guidelines, 2010, W.P.(C) No.5516/2014 has been filed seeking a direction that birth of a grandchild should also be added as a ground for grant of parole to a convict. Petitioner also sought incorporation of additional ground for grant of parole to those convicts who are having agricultural land for sowing and harvesting the crops and for deletion of condition 11.5 of 2010 Guidelines. So far as W.P.(C) No.8873/2015 is concerned, the petitioner seeks a declaration that clause 11.1 of 2010 Guidelines is arbitrary and unreasonable.
3. Pursuant to the notice issued by us, status reports were filed by the respondents from time to time furnishing the data relating to under-trial inmates of Tihar Jail and the cases in which parole and furlough were granted and the same were taken on record.
4. During the pendency of the writ petitions, the Government of NCT of Delhi constituted a Committee for reviewing the Parole/Furlough Guidelines, 2010. Having regard to the fact that the Reviewing Committee has already undertaken the exercise of reviewing the Parole/Furlough Guidelines, 2010, instead of this Court considering the suggestions that have come from the petitioners, we deem it appropriate to leave it open to the Reviewing Committee to address all the issues raised in the present petitions and take an appropriate decision in accordance with law.
5. Accordingly, all the writ petitions are disposed of with directions as under:
(i) The petitioners are at liberty to submit their suggestions, if any, with regard to streamlining of the Parole/Furlough Guidelines, 2010 to the Review Committee on or before 15.09.2016.
(ii) The Review Committee shall consider the suggestions and make appropriate recommendations to the Government of NCT of Delhi as expeditiously as possible, preferably within four months thereafter.
(iii) The Government of NCT of Delhi shall act upon the recommendations of the Review Committee within two months thereafter.