Make guidelines for officers dealing with parole, furlough applications: HC

The Haryana instructions provide the timelines within which applications are to be dealt with at different levels — jail superintendent is given 5 days to process the case, while the district magistrate gets 21 days and the divisional commissioner gets 10 days for completion of the process.

“The home secretary, government of Punjab and the DGP/Addl DGP (prisons) and home secretary/DGP, Chandigarh may consider formulating guidelines for officials/officers dealing with parole and furlough applications… as may be found suitable by the state government to help prevent litigation in court at premature stages barring cases of emergency parole,” read the order passed by Justice Raina.

However, the court also made it clear that the order can be ignored by the government and UT Administration in case there already are instructions for such a procedure.

The order has been directed to be sent to both authorities in Punjab government and UT Administration “for their consideration to try and bring both governments on par on the subject, the High Court being common”.