Auto-parole system needed to uphold inmates’ rights: Justice Lalit Batra

Haryana Human Rights Commission chairperson Justice Lalit Batra (retd) has called for the development of an auto-generated parole system across all jails in the state to ensure timely and transparent parole for eligible inmates.

“Parole is a basic human right, and no inmate should be deprived of it. A software should be developed to automatically notify inmates when they are eligible for parole, eliminating unnecessary delays. I will discuss the proposal with the Director General of Prisons to explore the feasibility of implementing such a system,” Justice Batra said during his inspection of Kaithal district jail on Monday.

Accompanied by commission members Kuldeep Jain and Deep Bhatia, Justice Batra reviewed facilities including the meeting room, barracks, hospital, canteen, workshop, laundry, food storage, and video conferencing room. He interacted with inmates and expressed satisfaction with the overall management, while issuing directions for further improvements.

Jail Superintendent Ashok Kumar was asked to ensure timely counselling for inmates, install racks for food storage, mesh screens in the kitchen, and explore markets for selling jail-made products. Justice Batra emphasised computerising all parole-related data — sentence duration and entitlement — to make it accessible even to illiterate prisoners. He directed that the parole process be completed within 42 days and communicated to the DC and SP.

Earlier, he met Deputy Commissioner Preeti and SP Astha Modi, urging concrete steps to curb urban begging through a database and skill development initiatives, suggesting collaboration with NGOs.

Haryana Tribune