Rakesh Singh 35, who is lodged in Tihar jail and is serving a life term for murder, can’t wait to get married.
He has written to Delhi government seeking permission to be released on parole for four days to tie the knot with his long time acquaintance Roshni. In his letter he has written how he was committed to Roshni and his long-cherished dream to marry her.
Rakesh is not alone.
Tihar jail authorities are literally flooded with such requests from convicts languishing in Asia’s biggest prison over the past few years – several of them seeking parole to marry.
“Several of such convicts marry after being granted parole. This is a growing trend and we do not have any complaints. It is a positive thing and would also help them in rehabilitating once they get out of prison after serving their term,” said a senior prison official.
Over the past two years over 150 convicts have got married after being allowed parole.
“Another good thing is that the promise of an ordered family life after jail made such convicts to be on good behaviour inside prison. After marriage they become more disciplined and well-mannered, he added.
But there are others who misuse the relief and go missing after being granted parole --- 26 convicts have gone missing in the last two years after they were granted relief.
“This is why we have written to the Delhi government to make parole rules more stringent and amend the existing guidelines,” another official said.
Last year Delhi high court granted Manu Sharma, serving a life term for the 1999 murder of Jessica Lal, parole for five days to attend his brother’s wedding but laid down a condition -- he wouldn’t visit nightclubs or discotheques during the five days.
In 2009 Delhi government had landed in a soup after recommending parole to Sharma who was found partying in a discotheque in the capital the last time he had been granted parole to visit his ailing mother in Chandigarh and attend his grandmother’s last rites.
According to the official jail authorities get 20-25 applications every month from convicts seeking parole on several grounds including marriage.
“Only those who are well-behaved and have never been involved in any untoward incident inside prison are allowed,” said Sunil Gupta, law officer Tihar jail
Parole is granted to convicts on grounds of sickness in the family, perform funeral rite, attend marriage, sorting out property dispute, construct a house or repair a damaged house, education or any other sufficient reasons.
It is granted by the governor, Delhi, and the high court if the appeal is pending there.
The relief allows a convict to leave the prison for a period of maximum one month on condition that he would behave appropriately after release and report back to the prison on termination of the parole period.
At present 12,000 inmates are lodged in Tihar jail and 25-30 percent of them are convicts.
“Inmates in Tihar are relatively young and the average age being 25-40. We are very happy that some of them are getting married on parole. It helps them in rehabilitation after serving their terms,” Gupta said.
In 2010, Tihar also introduced a furlough provision which an inmate can avail thrice in a year.
“But again convicts with a good track record and having good conduct are allowed furlough. The director general (prisons) has the discretionary power to allow furlough to a convict or deny,” said a jail official.
Prison officials said that many women marry convicts with an eye on his property.
“Once married prisoners can also seek furlough,” an official added.
Another jail official pointed out how the love story of a convict touched the hearts of the two judges of the Supreme Court so much that they granted parole to him to marry his fianacee in June this year.
Justice H.L.Gokhale and Justice Ranjana Prakash granted four weeks parole to life convict Mahesh Sharma to get him married to his beloved Sonia on June 25 in Delhi.
Sharma’s counsel pleaded that families of both the bride and bridegroom would face great embarrassment if he could not make it for the marriage ceremony fixed for June 25.
Sharma got engaged to his fiancée on April 14 while he was on a month long parole from April 4 to May 4. Their marriage was fixed on May 20 but his application for extension of parole was rejected by Delhi government.
It was then the marriage was rescheduled for June 25.
Sharma was arrested on the charges of murder by Delhi police in May 15, 2004 and was convicted and awarded life term November 3, 2009 by the trial court and was upheld by the high court and the apex court.
According to jail norms wives are allowed to meet their husbands twice a week which is a normal procedure.
Last year Punjab government announced that they may allow select male inmates to have sex with their partners in a designated area of the jail.
If the proposal, which is part of the jails reforms programme, is allowed then Punjab will become the first state to allow sex in prison.
ENDS
He has written to Delhi government seeking permission to be released on parole for four days to tie the knot with his long time acquaintance Roshni. In his letter he has written how he was committed to Roshni and his long-cherished dream to marry her.
Rakesh is not alone.
Tihar jail authorities are literally flooded with such requests from convicts languishing in Asia’s biggest prison over the past few years – several of them seeking parole to marry.
“Several of such convicts marry after being granted parole. This is a growing trend and we do not have any complaints. It is a positive thing and would also help them in rehabilitating once they get out of prison after serving their term,” said a senior prison official.
Over the past two years over 150 convicts have got married after being allowed parole.
“Another good thing is that the promise of an ordered family life after jail made such convicts to be on good behaviour inside prison. After marriage they become more disciplined and well-mannered, he added.
But there are others who misuse the relief and go missing after being granted parole --- 26 convicts have gone missing in the last two years after they were granted relief.
“This is why we have written to the Delhi government to make parole rules more stringent and amend the existing guidelines,” another official said.
Last year Delhi high court granted Manu Sharma, serving a life term for the 1999 murder of Jessica Lal, parole for five days to attend his brother’s wedding but laid down a condition -- he wouldn’t visit nightclubs or discotheques during the five days.
In 2009 Delhi government had landed in a soup after recommending parole to Sharma who was found partying in a discotheque in the capital the last time he had been granted parole to visit his ailing mother in Chandigarh and attend his grandmother’s last rites.
According to the official jail authorities get 20-25 applications every month from convicts seeking parole on several grounds including marriage.
“Only those who are well-behaved and have never been involved in any untoward incident inside prison are allowed,” said Sunil Gupta, law officer Tihar jail
Parole is granted to convicts on grounds of sickness in the family, perform funeral rite, attend marriage, sorting out property dispute, construct a house or repair a damaged house, education or any other sufficient reasons.
It is granted by the governor, Delhi, and the high court if the appeal is pending there.
The relief allows a convict to leave the prison for a period of maximum one month on condition that he would behave appropriately after release and report back to the prison on termination of the parole period.
At present 12,000 inmates are lodged in Tihar jail and 25-30 percent of them are convicts.
“Inmates in Tihar are relatively young and the average age being 25-40. We are very happy that some of them are getting married on parole. It helps them in rehabilitation after serving their terms,” Gupta said.
In 2010, Tihar also introduced a furlough provision which an inmate can avail thrice in a year.
“But again convicts with a good track record and having good conduct are allowed furlough. The director general (prisons) has the discretionary power to allow furlough to a convict or deny,” said a jail official.
Prison officials said that many women marry convicts with an eye on his property.
“Once married prisoners can also seek furlough,” an official added.
Another jail official pointed out how the love story of a convict touched the hearts of the two judges of the Supreme Court so much that they granted parole to him to marry his fianacee in June this year.
Justice H.L.Gokhale and Justice Ranjana Prakash granted four weeks parole to life convict Mahesh Sharma to get him married to his beloved Sonia on June 25 in Delhi.
Sharma’s counsel pleaded that families of both the bride and bridegroom would face great embarrassment if he could not make it for the marriage ceremony fixed for June 25.
Sharma got engaged to his fiancée on April 14 while he was on a month long parole from April 4 to May 4. Their marriage was fixed on May 20 but his application for extension of parole was rejected by Delhi government.
It was then the marriage was rescheduled for June 25.
Sharma was arrested on the charges of murder by Delhi police in May 15, 2004 and was convicted and awarded life term November 3, 2009 by the trial court and was upheld by the high court and the apex court.
According to jail norms wives are allowed to meet their husbands twice a week which is a normal procedure.
Last year Punjab government announced that they may allow select male inmates to have sex with their partners in a designated area of the jail.
If the proposal, which is part of the jails reforms programme, is allowed then Punjab will become the first state to allow sex in prison.
ENDS
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