HC quashes jail superintendent’s order rejecting parole to convict

Official asked to take decision based on COVID-19 situation

The Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court has quashed an order issued by the superintendent of prisons of Amravati Central Jail, rejecting a convict’s application seeking parole on the grounds of COVID-19. A Division Bench of Justices Sunil Shukre and Avinash Gharote was hearing a criminal petition filed by Ayyaz Khan Zabaz Khan, who is serving a life sentence for murder. The plea challenged the order rejecting his parole application filed on October 6, 2020. The court said the superintendent should decide on releasing prisoners after assessing the COVID-19 situation in prisons. The court said prisons rules need to be looked into based on the COVID-19 situation, which requires decongesting prisons to curb the spread of the virus. “It is in the changed circumstances of the rules that implementation of the provision relating to release of convicts on COVID-19 parole has to be considered,” it said.