The Punjab and Haryana High Court has ordered authorities to process Jagtar Singh Hawara's parole application within seven weeks. The court intervention follows administrative confusion between jail and government officials regarding the jurisdiction for the plea. Hawara, convicted for the assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh, is seeking release to care for his ailing mother.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has issued a directive to resolve an administrative impasse surrounding the parole request of Jagtar Singh Hawara. Hawara is currently serving a life sentence in Delhi's Mandoli Jail for his involvement in the 1995 assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh. He had moved the court seeking a four-week parole on humanitarian grounds to attend to his elderly and unwell mother.
Resolving Administrative Confusion
A Division Bench consisting of Justices Vinod S Bhardwaj and Sukhvinder Kaur observed that the parole request had been stalled due to procedural errors between different government bodies. Specifically, the Mandoli Jail administration had incorrectly sent the application to the Punjab government. The court clarified that because the original conviction took place in Chandigarh, the Home Secretary of the Union Territory of Chandigarh is the designated authority responsible for reviewing the plea and providing recommendations.
Defined Timeline for Decision
To prevent further delays, the court established a strict seven-week schedule for the authorities to complete the process. The Superintendent of Mandoli Jail is required to transmit the parole application to the Chandigarh Home Secretary within one week. Following this, the Chandigarh administration has been given a four-week window to review the file and formulate its recommendations. Once those recommendations are issued, the Mandoli Jail Superintendent has an additional two weeks to reach a final decision on the application.
Case Background and Custody Status
During the proceedings, legal representatives for Hawara noted that he has remained in custody for 29 years. According to records presented to the court, Hawara has been acquitted or has already served his sentences in 35 of the 36 cases registered against him. His legal counsel also highlighted his conduct during his long period of incarceration as a factor for the court's consideration. State counsel acknowledged the procedural error regarding the file's redirection and committed to adhering to the court-mandated timeline. The upcoming progress of this application will now depend on the timely coordination between the Delhi prison authorities and the Chandigarh administration.