Lieutenant Governor of Delhi Tejendra Khanna in December 2012 had rejected the recommendation of the Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit to release a rape convict on parole while the parole of another rape convict recommended by the CM is under consideration, pending report of the Delhi police.
'The district police has objected to grant parole and stated that any untoward incident can occur if the convict is released,' said the note dated 11 December, 2012, made by Ranjan Mukherjee, OSD to LG. 'The LG may reject the parole prayer in view of the police report,' added the note.
On the very next day LG rejected the application for parole. The note by Mukherjee mentioned that while the Delhi Chief Minister and Principal Secretary (Home) had recommended parole for one month, it may not be suitable as per the police report and hence not recommended. As per the records, the convict, Duli Chand, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for raping a girl in Delhi and had been sentenced under section 376 (rape), 365 (wrongful confinement) and 366 (abducting or inducing woman to compel her marriage) of IPC. A rickshaw puller, Chand, has already been in jail for over 13 years.
In another recommendation the Chief Minister and Principal Secretary had recommended one month parole for Harpreet Singh who is serving life imprisonment for rape, wrongful confinement and robbery. Singh had already served nine years in prison at the time of filing the application for parole. On 5 November, 2012, Khanna observed, 'Discussed with B S Bassi, special commissioner of Police. Let this case be looked into further by police as suggested by Bassi’. In this case also the police has opposed the parole from the belief that he may jump the parole.
When contacted, officials at the Chief Minister's Office said they were not aware of the case and therefore could not comment on it. Sources in Dikshit’s office said however, that such cases are routinely forwarded to her by Tihar Central Jail authorities, as Dikshit is also Jail Minister. 'After examining the cases as per the jail manual and other rules, they are forwarded to the Lieutenant Governor, as the police department is under his jurisdiction. He takes the final decision based on the inputs from the jail department and Delhi Police,’ sources said.
Interestingly, Duli Chand’s parole recommendation was rejected on 12 December, four days before the 23-year-old paramedical student was brutally gangraped in a moving bus on 16 December.
'The district police has objected to grant parole and stated that any untoward incident can occur if the convict is released,' said the note dated 11 December, 2012, made by Ranjan Mukherjee, OSD to LG. 'The LG may reject the parole prayer in view of the police report,' added the note.
On the very next day LG rejected the application for parole. The note by Mukherjee mentioned that while the Delhi Chief Minister and Principal Secretary (Home) had recommended parole for one month, it may not be suitable as per the police report and hence not recommended. As per the records, the convict, Duli Chand, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for raping a girl in Delhi and had been sentenced under section 376 (rape), 365 (wrongful confinement) and 366 (abducting or inducing woman to compel her marriage) of IPC. A rickshaw puller, Chand, has already been in jail for over 13 years.
In another recommendation the Chief Minister and Principal Secretary had recommended one month parole for Harpreet Singh who is serving life imprisonment for rape, wrongful confinement and robbery. Singh had already served nine years in prison at the time of filing the application for parole. On 5 November, 2012, Khanna observed, 'Discussed with B S Bassi, special commissioner of Police. Let this case be looked into further by police as suggested by Bassi’. In this case also the police has opposed the parole from the belief that he may jump the parole.
When contacted, officials at the Chief Minister's Office said they were not aware of the case and therefore could not comment on it. Sources in Dikshit’s office said however, that such cases are routinely forwarded to her by Tihar Central Jail authorities, as Dikshit is also Jail Minister. 'After examining the cases as per the jail manual and other rules, they are forwarded to the Lieutenant Governor, as the police department is under his jurisdiction. He takes the final decision based on the inputs from the jail department and Delhi Police,’ sources said.
Interestingly, Duli Chand’s parole recommendation was rejected on 12 December, four days before the 23-year-old paramedical student was brutally gangraped in a moving bus on 16 December.