New Delhi: COVID-19 cases are rising very rapidly every single day and "there is no slow down" in the spread of the pandemic in the national capital.
Meanwhile, another angle of spreading the virus has become a matter of headache as 3,400 prisoners out of 6,500, who were released on parole and interim bail to decongest the jails during the last year lockdown, did not return to their barracks so far.
According to reports, many of these prisoners are accused of serious crimes. In such a situation, the matter hold s a big question mark for the Delhi Police and the Tihar Administration as it is being feared that due to these prisoners being out of jail. And there is a possibility of their role in increasing crimes in the state capital.
Former Law officer of Tihar Jail Sunil Gupta said that in the year 2020 when the cases of corona infection started appearing inside the jail, the number of prisoners in the jail was one and a half times more than its capacity.
In such a situation, about 6,500 prisoners were gradually released from the Tihar Jail on parole and interim bail to ensure social distancing. Of these, 1,184 convicted prisoners were released on emergency parole by the Tihar Jail and the Delhi Government.
At the same time, 5,556 undertrials were released by the court on interim bail based on the rules decided by a committee formed by the Supreme Court.
After last December, when the cases of Covid-19 infection started decreasing in Delhi, these prisoners were asked to surrender back but more than 50 per cent of these prisoners had not yet surrendered.
Read:| Sisodia appointed as nodal minister for Covid management in Delhi
WHERE DID ALL THE PRISONERS GO?
"All the prisoners were released on interim bail from the jail. They included those accused of petty crimes ranging from minor theft to murders. They were released on 45-day interim bail. As there was no improvement in the corona situation, this period had to be extended several times. He said that through the media he has got information that a large number of prisoners have not returned," Gupta said.
"It may be quite possible that some of these prisoners are acquitted or they have taken regular bail. Some prisoners may have extended this bail period but did not inform the Tihar administration. Along with this, there is also a possibility that many prisoners have escaped by taking advantage of this opportunity," Gupta said.
CRIMES WILL GO UP AS IT IS NOT EASY TO CATCH THEM
Former Delhi Police ACP Ved Bhushan said that most of the 3400 prisoners who have not returned to their barracks, committed most crimes and their not surrendering before jail suggests that they have escaped for the purpose of committing a crime on the streets of Delhi.
"When these prisoners were released in 2020, at that time there was an upsurge in the incidents of theft, snatching, loots etc. Now, because of their not returning to jail, street crime will increase once again," he said.
"Along with this, it is a big challenge for the police to catch them. Corona infection has become very dangerous once again in the capital. More than 300 policemen have been infected in recent times. In such a situation, finding three thousand missing prisoners is a very challenging task," he added.
Read:| Kejriwal to hold meeting over COVID-19 situation
"Most of the convicted prisoners released on parole from Tihar Jail have returned. At the same time, most of the undertrials who have not returned are accused of petty crimes. They got interim bail from the court. Their information has been shared with the Delhi Police. It is possible that some of these undertrials have got regular bail. Efforts are being made to gather information about it," said Sandeep Goyal, DG, Tihar Jail.
The issue is not what kind of crime they are committing. The issue is why the rules are not being followed. The number of crimes happening in Delhi is constantly increasing. In such a situation, the absence of more than three thousand people of criminal tendency is enough to create concern for the police. Why the police administration is not getting serious in dealing with Covid-19 is beyond one’s comprehension.
DATA RELATED TO TIHAR JAIL PRISONER
- Convicted prisoners released on emergency parole: 1185
- Convicted prisoners returned from emergency parole: 1073
- Convicted prisoners escaped on emergency parole: 112
- Undertrial prisoners released on interim bail: 5556
- Undertrial prisoners returned to jail from interim bail: 2200
- Under trials escaped taking interim bail: 3356
(Figure Till 15 April)
- Those accused of a serious crime having got interim bail: 2318
- Those accused of petty crime out on interim bail: 2907
- High Court granted interim bail: 356
(Figure 20 October 2020)
HOW TO GET PAROLE?
Any prison inmate can apply to the prison administration for parole. With the application, they have to give the reason for the parole. Inmates usually ask for parole for some happy occasions like marriage or treatment, etc. Keeping in mind their behaviour, the jail administration sends the application to the Delhi government from where it is approved. If the government disallows this, then the prisoner will not get parole.
WHAT IS EMERGENCY PAROLE?
There is a provision for emergency parole in the Tihar Jail Manual. Emergency parole is awarded to a convicted prisoner in special circumstances like Covid-19. These days are also added to the sentence of the prisoner who gets out of jail on this emergency parole. The period of emergency parole is usually a maximum of 45 days which can be extended further.
Read:| Weekend curfew in Delhi, malls, gyms and spas to be closed
HOW TO GET INTERIM BAIL?
In order to get the interim bail, any prisoner has to file a petition before the court. The inmate, through the counsel, tells the court why he wants interim bail. The prisoners who were released in the present case had sought interim bail due to Covid-19. After hearing them, the court decides whether to grant interim bail to the under trial or not.
WHAT ACTION WILL BE TAKEN AGAINST THE PRISONERS?
Former Law Officer of Tihar Jail Sunil Gupta told ETV Bharat that the Tihar Jail will inform the Delhi Police about the missing prisoners. The Delhi Police will look for these prisoners and arrest them. They will be produced before the relevant court from where they will be sent to jail again. These prisoners can also be punished in jail. In the future, the demand for parole by these prisoners will be opposed to the pretext of not honouring the parole norms.
Read:| WB polls: Amit Shah claims BJP's victory on 93 seats in first 4 phases
