Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir administration has authorised the Director General of Police (DPG) prisons to extend special parole to certain categories of convict prisoners for a period of 90 days in COVID-19 pandemic situation in the Union Territory.
”In exercise of the powers conferred under sub-section (5) of section 432 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, the Government hereby authorizes the Director General of Police (Prisons), J&K being the Competent Authority, under the Jammu and Kashmir Suspension of Sentence Rules, 2020, to grant/extend Special Parole, in respect of categories of convict prisoners, mentioned in Government order No. 100- Home of 2020 dated 02.04.2020, for a further period of 90 days,” an order issued by the J&K Home department read.
The order further said that the special parole is extendable for another one month if the COVID-19 pandemic situation in the UT of J&K doesn’t improve or further worsens, subject to the conditions laid down in the order ibid.
The administration had in the month of March 2021 authorised the DGP (prisons) to grant special parole to convicts for a period of two months, extendable for another two months if the coronavirus situation in the Union Territory does not improve.
The number of fresh COVID-19 cases has witnessed a considerable decline during the last over a month with the total number of Coronavirus active cases standing at 1124 in the Union Territory. However, the administration is taking precautions in view of apprehensions of a possible third wave of COVID-19 pandemic. (UNI)