HC orders release of convict on parole to marry his girlfriend of nine years

The High Court of Karnataka directed prison authorities to release a convict on parole for 15 days to allow him to marry his lover while allowing a joint petition filed by his aged mother and the girl who feared that her family members would get her married to a different person.

The High Court of Karnataka directed prison authorities to release a convict on parole for 15 days to allow him to marry his lover while allowing a joint petition filed by his aged mother and the girl who feared that her family members would get her married to a different person.

“This would be an extraordinary circumstance for grant of parole,” the court said while refusing to accept the government’s contention that there is no provision in the prison manual for grant of parole to get married as parole is usually granted either to attend or to perform a marriage.

Justice M. Nagaprasanna passed the order while allowing a petition filed by 63-year-old Rathnamma, the mother of the convict, and 30-year-old Neetha G, both from Kolar district.

Neetha claimed in the petition that she has been in love with Anand for the past nine years, but now she is apprehending that her family would get her married to someone else.

Convict Anand was initially sentenced to life imprisonment by a trial court in a murder case, and High Court later reduced the sentence to 10 years. He has been undergoing the sentence for the past 6 years.

Rathnamma, who is suffering from various ailments, stated in the petition to the court that both of her sons are in prison, and it is her wish to witness at least the marriage of Anand with Neetha. However, the representation given by Rathnamma and Neetha to the prison authorities for the release of Anand on parole to perform his marriage was not considered by the authorities.