New Delhi. With an aim to maintain the true intent and spirit of the provision of furlough, the Delhi High Court discharged a person serving life imprisonment under the POCSO Act. The period spent by the prisoner on leave outside the jail will be counted towards his sentence. Justice Swarn Kanta Sharma, in her order, said that rigid and mechanical interpretations of prison rules could obscure the altruistic intention behind the leave. This may reduce its importance in the lives of prisoners.
The court made these comments in a case involving a person serving life imprisonment for offenses under the IPC and POCSO Act. Despite the seriousness of his crimes, the court granted him leave for three weeks, acknowledging his good conduct in prison and his efforts to reform. Justice Sharma said that solitary confinement should not come in the way of a prisoner’s reformation. He stressed the role of courts in ensuring fairness and humanity in the entire judicial process.
The court emphasized that the provisions of leave provide a ray of hope to the jailed persons. This allows them temporary release to reunite with their families, seek medical treatment and pursue rehabilitation programs. The court rejected the notion of denying leave merely on the basis of the seriousness of the offence, saying that such an approach would undermine the very purpose of the provision of furlough.
FIRST PUBLISHED: May 6, 2024, 22:26 IST