PAROLE

June 30, 2019

Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the Dera Sacha Sauda chief convicted of rape and murder, has applied to the Haryana government for parole.

About:

  • What is it? Parole is a system of releasing a prisoner with suspension of the sentence. The release is conditional, usually subject to behaviour, and requires periodic reporting to the authorities for a set period of time.

  • Objective: Parole is considered a reformative process, and was introduced with a view to humanising the prison system.

Comparison with Furlough:

  • A broadly similar but subtly different concept is furlough, which is given in case of long-term imprisonment.

  • While furlough is seen as a matter of right, to be granted periodically irrespective of any reason and merely to enable the prisoner to retain family and social ties, parole is not a matter of right and may be denied to a prisoner even when he makes out a sufficient case.