The Delhi High Court recently granted a 90-day parole to serial killer Chandrakant Jha, who is serving a life term following convictions in three murder cases.
A single bench of Justice Rajnish Bhatnagar observed that Jha has been incarcerated for over 15 years and has not been granted release in the past three years. Furthermore, his behavior while in custody has been deemed “satisfactory.”
The judge stipulated that Jha must not leave the city without permission. Additionally, he directed Jha to provide his mobile phone number to both jail authorities and the relevant Station House Officer (SHO) upon his release. Moreover, Jha is required to report his presence at the local police station every third day.
The convicted individual had sought parole on the basis that, as a father of four daughters, he needed to arrange a suitable marriage prospect for his eldest daughter, given the absence of other male family members. He argued that his release was crucial for re-establishing social ties with his family.
“The petitioner has undergone more than 15 years and 6 months in judicial custody and he has not been released in the last 3 years.The conduct of the petitioner is satisfactory, he has also been released on parole on five occasions and furlough on seven occasions and there is no allegation that the petitioner had misused his liberty, therefore, this Court considers it apposite to allow the present petition,” the bench noted.
“Accordingly, the petition is allowed and petitioner is granted parole for a period of 90 days…The petitioner shall positively surrender before the concerned Jail Superintendent on the expiry of the period of 90 days from the date of his release,” it added.
The single judge also asked Jha to furnish a personal bond of Rs 25,000 with two sureties of the like amount.
Despite opposition from the state, which cited Jha’s criminal history and convictions in three murder cases, the court sanctioned the parole. In an earlier decision on January 27, 2016, the high court had commuted Jha’s death sentence to life imprisonment without remission, deeming his crime “heinous” and warranting emphatic and substantial punishment.
In a separate case, Jha was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Dilip, whose headless body was discovered near Tihar Jail in 2007. He had also been sentenced to death for the murder of Upender, another case where the trial court deemed his actions to fall under the category of “rarest of rare,” indicating an irreformable brutality.
