Rajasthan High Court Criticizes Officials for 'Mechanical' Parole Rejections
The Rajasthan High Court on Friday delivered a stern rebuke to the Bharatpur Collector and Superintendent of Police for their handling of a prisoner's parole application. The court condemned the rejection as lacking proper justification, labeling such decisions as "mechanical" and warning that they are inundating the judiciary with unnecessary litigation, thereby consuming valuable judicial time.
Court Compares Authorities to a 'Post Office'
A division bench comprising Justice Mahendra Goyal and Justice Bhuvan Goyal expressed strong disapproval, stating that authorities are acting as if the court were merely a "post office." They highlighted a pattern where parole requests are routinely denied without due consideration, forcing the judiciary to intervene and resolve the resulting legal disputes. The bench emphasized that this steady increase in parole-related cases is preventing the court from addressing other urgent and critical matters.
Details of the Parole Petition
The observations arose during the hearing of a petition filed by Anil Kapoor, also known as Rinku, who is incarcerated in Bharatpur Central Jail. Kapoor challenged the district administration's refusal to grant him parole. The bench noted significant details about the prisoner's background:
- He has completed 12 years in custody.
- For the last four years, he has been held in an open jail, a placement typically reserved for inmates with satisfactory conduct records.
The court questioned why the Collector and SP failed to exercise independent judgment in this case. Instead, they relied heavily on a report submitted by a head constable. "Why did you not apply your mind? You simply relied on the report of a head constable," the bench directly asked the officials, who were present in court during the proceedings.
Legal Representation and Recommendations
Advocate Govind Prasad Rawat, representing the petitioner, informed the court that Kapoor's conduct has been satisfactory. He further disclosed that the joint director of the social justice and empowerment department in Bharatpur had actually recommended granting parole. However, the application was rejected based solely on the SP's report, which the court found insufficient and lacking in thorough evaluation.
Previous Warnings and Lack of Improvement
The court revealed that it had previously urged senior officials to implement corrective measures in the parole review system to prevent such arbitrary rejections. Despite these warnings, the bench observed no meaningful improvement in the process, indicating a persistent issue within the administrative framework.
Recent Developments and Future Hearing
During the Friday hearing, the Bharatpur Collector informed the bench that, upon reconsideration, the prisoner has now been granted 20 days of parole. The court had earlier summoned several high-ranking officials, including the Bharatpur Collector, SP, Director General of Police, and the Additional Chief Secretary (Home), to explain the procedures behind parole application rejections.
On Friday, the Collector and SP appeared in person, while the DGP and ACS (Home) were exempted from personal appearance due to the ongoing assembly session. The matter is scheduled for further hearing on March 16, where the court will continue to scrutinize the parole review mechanisms and seek accountability from the authorities involved.
