Gujarat government to grant 15-day Diwali parole to 143 prisoners from Nov 6

Gandhinagar, Nov 1 (PTI) The Gujarat government has approved 15-day Diwali parole for 143 prisoners serving sentences in various jails, as part of prisoner welfare and prison reform initiatives.

Since 2003, the state government has granted 15-day parole during Diwali to eligible prisoners, including women and men aged 60 years and above, to celebrate the festival with their families.

"Under the guidance of Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, 15-day Diwali parole has been approved for 143 eligible prisoners serving sentences in various jails across the state from November 6. The beneficiaries include 103 male prisoners aged 60 years or above and 40 female prisoners," an official release stated on Sunday.

As per state government rules, prisoners involved in serious offences are not eligible for Diwali parole, Director General of Police (Gujarat Prisons and Correctional Department) KLN Rao was quoted as saying in the release.

Prisoners excluded from the benefit include those with pending High Court appeals, NRIs and inmates from other states, those convicted under the NDPS Act, TADA or POTA, and those involved in terrorism, economic offences, multiple offences or serious crimes such as rape, kidnapping, robbery and extortion.

Prisoners facing preventive detention orders are also ineligible, the release added.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)