BJP demands setting up of independent agency to grant parole

BJP today demanded setting up of an independent agency to grant parole to people languishing in jails following the Delhi High Court's observation that the city government extended preferential treatment to Jessica Lall murder convict Manu Sharma.

"A separate agency should be set up to decide on granting parole to prisoners languishing in jails in the city as the Government only gives parole to the powerful people," senior BJP leader VK Malhotra told reporters.

The Delhi High Court yesterday came down heavily on the city government for giving preferential treatment to Sharma in granting parole while neglecting such pleas of "poor" people languishing in jail for years.

The court directed the government to take an unbiased approach while dealing with parole pleas and asked it to decide all the 98 pending parole applications within a month. Malhotra also criticised chief minister Sheila Dikshit for not clarifying her stand on the issue.

Sharma was released from jail on parole on September 22 but he returned to Tihar jail on November 10 before expiry of his two-month parole following mounting criticism that he violated norms under which he was granted the benefit by the Delhi Government.