The Maharashtra government on Wednesday announced that rape and murder convicts in the state will no longer be allowed to leave jail on 'regular' parole. The decision is also applicable to dacoits and kidnappers.
The ruling came after a suspect convicted of rape and murder of Mumbai lawyer Pallavi Purkayastha escaped on parole earlier this year. The changes were sent for notification after Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis gave his nod.
After the state government's decision, the jail manuals are being changed and will soon be applicable to all jails in Maharashtra.
The convict, Sajjad Mughal, was serving a life term for murder and rape of Mumbai lawyer Pallavi Purkayastha in 2012. Pallavi, 25, was brutally assaulted and murdered in her apartment in Mumbai by Mughal who worked as the building's watchman. She was found lying in a pool of blood by her partner Avik Sengupta, who later succumbed to a brain disorder. Mughal was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2014.
Mughal got out of the Nashik jail on parole earlier this year and succeeded in escaping during his parole. The prisons department ordered an inquiry into the case and found the Nashik jail staff guilty of negligence.
A top officer has also been suspended in relation to the case. After the investigations, it was found out that the convict should not have been let out of the jail in the first place. The police has not been successful in tracing Mughal till now.
Reports state that the convicts, however, will be eligible for 'emergency' parole which will be extended for a maximum of seven days.
